An Angel Learns to Fly
by babesrus2
Summary: Sequel to Angel Wings. Stephanie doesn't like to sit around, but she's had her wings clipped due to her injury. Can she meekly take orders or will her stubborn streak rear its ugly head. HEA's.
1. Chapter 1

**So, after multiple rounds of arm wrestling, throat clearing and muttering, my muse and I decided on this story. While there is no angst in this, due to Stephanie's condition when Angel Wings ended, there is some drama. **

**I like to post regularly so plan on the Monday to Friday thing, but I might sneak in the odd weekend one just to throw you off. Mwahahaha.**

**Any characters you don't recognize from Janet Evanovich's books are mine and I would like to thank her for continuing to allow us to write using her excellent characters. **

**Reviews are our payment and ALWAYS appreciated.**

Chapter 1

Stephanie watched from the back seat of the SUV as the large metal garage door opened into the bowels of Rangeman LLC. It felt like so long ago since she had been here.

Tank waited patiently until the door ceased its upward journey and slowly drove in, bumping slightly over the metal grate indentation in the floor, parking in the open space right beside the elevator door.

Stephanie looked at Ranger as he continued to hold her hand in his and pressed into the side of his hard, very hard muscular leg.

Tank walked around to the passenger door and opened it, ready with his hand out to assist her to step out. She hesitated and looked down at their joined hands, mentally questioning how she was going to be able to vacate the back seat unless Ranger came along too.

He reluctantly let her hand go and before she had even managed to maneuver her feet over the side and stand up, he had gently but firmly muscled his best friend aside and was waiting with his hand out to help.

Stephanie tried to keep her face blank as she slowly stood up but a grimace and a slight groan of pain escaped. Her chest still hurt from where the large incision was still being held together with staples and the pinch of the tape holding the bandage in place pulled on her skin. She hoped that the very loose shirt she was wearing would cover the massive bandage on her chest.

Bobby was standing by and began to roll the wheelchair to her, but she put her hand up and shook her head. She wanted to do this under her own power. That had been the only reason that she had consented to staying in the hospital two extra days.

Stephanie walked unaided to the elevator that was open and waiting for her. She stepped in and Ranger and Bobby with the hated wheelchair crowded in with her.

Before the door closed, she pressed five, overriding the seven that was lit up. She wanted to and needed to tell the men that she appreciated all that they had done for her, again.

Stephanie could feel a small bead of sweat make its way down the side of her face. She was going to do this, at whatever cost to her draining strength. Trying to not draw attention, she made as if to push back her hair from her face, gently wiping the sweat mark away.

The elevator door opened and she slowly made her way out onto the control room floor. The men had all stood up from their cubicles or had come out of the break room and almost immediately there was a roar of excitement and hand clapping that practically made the room vibrate.

Stephanie stopped the oncoming crush of men with a hand up and as they stopped she spoke.

"I just wanted to thank everyone for all that you did while I was recovering. I could literally feel your kind thoughts and words of concern as I lay in that stupid bed. I felt the love and the protection from each and every one of you as you watched over me. I can never thank you enough for all that you did. The flowers and the cards were absolutely gorgeous."

Her face took on a bit of a cheeky grin.

"Being the handsome men that you are, I heard that a good number of the medical staff were raiding the staff offices for post-it-notes to give you their names and phone numbers. Gentlemen, I do want some details, but not too many, of course."

With that, she stepped back into the elevator with Ranger and Bobby and the door closed.

Ranger caught her as she slumped in exhaustion and helped her into the wheelchair. The elevator stopped on seven and the door opened to Ella waiting by the apartment door. She followed the little procession in and clucked in worry at the pallor on Stephanie's face.

Bobby pushed her right into the bedroom and Ranger literally pushed Bobby aside to scoop his hands under and lift her up and lay her in bed. Ella was taking off her shoes and Bobby had his bag opened and his stethoscope around his neck. He checked her heartbeat and put a hand on her wrist, frowning.

Ella watched with concern.

Stephanie had had so many knocks and injuries in her short life, but this one looked different. She could see that her breathing was slightly labored.

Bobby looked down. Stephanie was already sleeping, but her color was off. He nodded in the direction of the heart monitor and Ella raced over, rolling it back toward where Bobby was sitting.

He fussed with it, hooking it up and watching it for a few minutes, frowning slightly.

Finally it seemed to give him the news he was wanting to see, because he stood up.

"We've tried to explain that there are some very serious long-term repercussions from what happened and yet so far she's refusing to admit out loud that her life may be different."

He looked from Ella to Ranger and back.

"I can stay for the first shift and then we can take turns. Bed rest mostly unless she needs to use the washroom, and when she is stronger, a very careful exercise program. Too much and she will relapse, and that's what concerns me. She thinks she's going to bounce back from this and I really don't want to burst her bubble of hope, but..."

Ranger spoke.

"We've talked about this, Bobby but for the first few days, I will take the shifts. I can work from my office and you can check on her as you need. Ella or I will assist her with her shower, and spell me off if I absolutely have to do something off the floor."

Bobby pursed his lips but nodded. He had expected nothing less.

He gathered up his bag and walked to the door.

"I can be here very, very quickly Ranger if need be, but you need to sleep too. As I said, this is something that will not heal overnight. We need to pace ourselves. Putting us into exhaustion mode will not help her and may, in fact, make her even more agitated."

Bobby walked out the door with Ella and Ranger could hear him confirming her dietary needs for the foreseeable future.

Bobby hoped not to be in the room when Stephanie learned what her diet was about to look like. He could already see fireworks ahead and she did not have the available strength to fight it.

Bobby wondered how long before things turned ugly.

~~~o0o~~~

Tank, Bobby and Les were sitting in Tank's office and they were discussing how Rangeman was about to change in the short term.

Les had already spoken to Ranger and he was now giving details to his friends and co-workers.

He wanted to do something to help. Time was a factor and he would be leaving soon. Unfortunately, with Beautiful injured, Ranger would be spending his time between Rangeman and watching over Stephanie and he was having second thoughts. He did not want to leave his brothers-in-arms scrambling.

Bobby nodded his head as Les explained the mission. He and Les were so very close and he had seen the signs. Les was bored with the same old, same old, and was craving more action, more gym time, more female companionship and last but certainly not least, more time with his family. That was what had twigged Bobby that something was amiss.

Tank leaned back in his chair nodding his head. He too could see that Les was getting restless about staying around the various branches of Rangeman lately. He looked at the business deals with clients, some very, very elaborate in nature. There had been a time that Les would have literally salivated with excitement at working with extremely complex security systems. He was a security expert in every sense of the word. Les loved the cat and mouse approach to designing systems that covered extensive properties yet appeared to be completely hidden. He loved to deal with customers since he was and always had been a people person.

There was a knock on the door and Ranger slid in, closing it once again behind him. He strode over to the chair by the side wall and sat down. He looked tired and sighed softly as he leaned back.

"Ella is watching her for a few minutes."

Tank stood up and went to the wall cabinet, opening up a door. He pulled out four glasses and a bottle. He brought them to the desk and poured a measure into each glass, handing them around.

Looking at Les, he lifted his glass and spoke.

"To Les. May he run faster than the daughters' father, have eyes in the back of his head, and shoot straight when required."

There was a lifting of glasses and everyone slammed back the drink. Their eyes watered at the taste. It was an old bottle of some nondescript label that the guys had found on their very first mission together. Rather than drink it, they had kept it, wanting to celebrate at the end of the mission. The taste had been so very bad that they had changed their minds, but for some reason had chosen to bring it back with them. Now it was used for very special occasions only.

The men stood up, walked to Les and solemnly shook his hand. He would be leaving soon and while there were a number of things to do before he left, this was their time. He would be missed and hopefully he would return safe and sound.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews and taking a chance on this. Janet deserves our thanks for allowing us to borrow her characters and playing with them. As always, any mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 2

Stephanie woke up from her nap. She could hear Ella in the kitchen singing in Spanish as she worked. She relaxed as she listened. Ella had sung that little ditty almost every time she had been up with Stephanie for the past week. She was going to have her explain its' meaning and hopefully a simple translation of the words.

She shifted in bed and could literally hear Ella put down whatever was in her hand onto the granite counter top and walk out of the kitchen. No matter how quiet she tried to be, Ella had very good hearing and would materialize almost as soon as she made a sound.

Ella walked in

"Ranger had to step out for a few minutes and I volunteered to make your snack up here, dear."

Ella stood ready. Stephanie was well known for the need to have to dash to the bathroom almost as soon as she woke up.

She pushed the covers off herself and put her hand up as Ella bent over to assist her to slide her legs over to the side of the bed.

"I'm feeling stronger today, Ella. I really want to try it myself."

She managed to turn on her side as she had been shown by Bobby and place her feet on the floor. He had cautioned her that she take it one step at a time. Next she pushed herself up slowly so that she was sitting on the side of the bed with her feet firmly on the floor. Waiting just a minute, she inched her way to the edge of the bed and using the night table for support, stood up. Ella watched ready to step in but she stood unassisted waiting for any dizziness to dissipate. She then walked slowly to the bathroom and closing the door, did her business.

Ella heard the toilet flush and she knocked and walked in. Stephanie was trying to get the shirt she was wearing off over her head but the effort was leaving her a bit breathless and Ella quickly and efficiently helped her. Ella had the waterproof bandage ready and carefully put it over the incision. Bobby would be up later to check and would change the dressing again. Stephanie was able to push down her panties without bending over and Ella had already turned on the shower and tested it for temperature.

Stephanie stepped in and closed the door. Holding onto one handrail then another she managed a one-handed shower only getting her hair a little damp in the process. She needed Ranger to help with that and lamented that for the immediate future she had to tamp down her independence and request help.

Ella had stayed just outside the door and waited as she stepped out. Stephanie noted the fluffy towels on the vanity and a new set of sleepwear.

Determined to do as much as she could, she dried off, and slipped the oversized shirt over her head, holding onto the vanity with one hand as the other found the armhole, then reversing the procedure with the other. She grimaced at the granny panties that she was forced to wear. Unfortunately, because she could not bend down without becoming disoriented, she needed the high sided material to pull up. At her first opportunity, she vowed that there would be a panty burning ceremony when she could go back to her beloved thongs.

She stepped out and walked back to bed, her legs trying to buckle. Ella stood by the bed with a tray in her hand ready to put it down quickly but Stephanie gritted her teeth and made her way back to the side of the bed, trying not to collapse. She sat down a bit heavily on the side of the bed, leaned back and forced her legs to lift up. She pulled the covers over herself, leaned back again the pillows and sighed in relief.

Ella had put the tray down on the night table and waited for her to settle herself. There was a flower in a bud vase on one side. There was a small bowl of cut up fruit, some whole wheat toast cut into little triangles and placed playfully on a plate. There was a glass of orange juice and a little paper cup with a few pills in it. Stephanie had always wondered if the ketchup manufacturers knew that those little paper containers that should only contain ketchup was also being used for meds and if they would care.

Settled back in bed again with the tray over her lap, she looked at Ella.

"How fast was I this morning?"

Ella smiled. She glanced at the legal pad on the night table.

"You are getting stronger each day. I only helped a little with the shirt and you walked all the way back without my help. I am so proud of you, but remember dear not to push yourself too much. Remember three days ago. You tired yourself out so much you slept the whole day and Bobby was ready with an IV again."

Stephanie nodded. She was impatient to get back to normal but the experience of pushing herself had scared her enough that she vowed to take it a bit slower. After Bobby had left, she had cried herself to sleep at her weakened condition.

She tried to munch her way through the tasty repast on her tray but the tiny toast triangles defeated her. There were just too many of them and she had forgotten to count how many Ella had put on her plate. Actually, she had forgotten to count them the first day and Ella wouldn't say. She had always told her that it was a small serving, just cut up small so she didn't have to do a lot of chewing, but even rudimentary math at its best told Stephanie there was more than one slice there. Tomorrow she promised to at least count them before taking a bite, if she remembered.

Ella took the tray and headed out the door, leaving it open in case Stephanie needed more help. She puttered around in the kitchen cleaning up. She knew that the men were meeting in Tank's office and she had an idea why. She had been around these men for so long she could see the signs as well as anyone. One of them was leaving and she'd already guessed it was Les.

Tank wouldn't leave with Lula still incarcerated. He dutifully left every Wednesday and Sunday afternoon putting himself off-line. It did not take a rocket scientist to know that he would be making his way to the Women's Prison in Clinton to see Lula.

He would come back and close his office door shutting himself in for anywhere from a few minutes to many minutes. He never relayed how the visits went, but a number of times he came back and headed straight to the gym where he would punish the big bag.

Ella had heard some rumors that Lula was having a rough time. She didn't do well being told what to do and when to do it, and a few times Tank had returned without seeing her. She had already had her sentence increased a few days for 'incidents', and while it was difficult to glean any information, one of the men had a relative who worked in justice said that a number of women had taken umbrage to Lula. She had defended herself as well as she could but justice is mean and unfair in the prison system and even the days she had spent in the prison infirmary had been eye-opening.

Ella hoped that Lula would come out with her vibrant attitude intact and be able to quickly adjust and step back into society. Stephanie was counting the days until she could see her and nobody had told her yet that it might be a bit longer than planned before they could meet again.

Ella also knew that Bobby was seeing someone who literally took his breath away. She would pass by his office and some mornings he was sporting that grin that could only mean one thing. He now had an apartment off site from Rangeman and was spending more and more nights there unless he was on duty. His assistant medic, Harold found himself on nights more and more.

Ranger, of course would not leave Stephanie in this condition. He had fulfilled his contractual obligations some time ago. The calls had finally stopped and Ranger was using his time now to run the business and look at more branches to open up.

Ella cleaned his offices and would sometimes glance at the papers on top as she cleaned. Lately, there were a number of sheets with different cities listed, then later, crossed off and others added. Ranger was nothing if not very, very thorough in his research and he would not move unless he was sure that the new location was the right fit.

Lately, Kentucky cities were being added. Ella wondered if that was because of the temperate climate and less extreme climate changes or she wondered if it might have something to do with Stephanie. She also wondered with Les appearing to be leaving for who knows how long that Ranger might be second-guessing the timing on new branches. The Core Team would be stretched thin with Les gone and opening up a new branch would make it even thinner.

Ranger walked into the apartment and Ella prepared to leave. She had already put the casserole in the oven to heat for their supper and the bread machine was churning out a recipe full of healthy ingredients to eat with it. It served the purpose of a healthy diet for Stephanie but with a delicious taste so that she could not complain that it was full of twigs and bark. Ranger had even been known to take a slice of the bread to mop up whatever juices remained of the casserole.

Unfortunately dessert was going to be a problem in the future. Sugar was a staple in Stephanie's diet and it was a funny but well known fact that a diet lacking in sugar was cause for some concern when Stephanie became stronger. He and Bobby were going to be needing to have a serious talk, because Stephanie was a vibrant and enthusiastic partner in the bedroom and denying them both might prove to be a stressful moment in time.

He climbed into bed and lay down beside her. She was looking a bit better every day and Bobby was pleased with her progress.

Stephanie pointed to the legal pad and smiled. Ella had been marking down the particulars of her efforts and the new times. There was a steady improvement and Ranger gently pulled her to him and gave her a kiss of congratulations.

She snuggled into his broad, strong chest and smelled his Bvlgari. He softly caressed her back and smiled as she shifted around until she was in her favorite spot, her head on his right shoulder and her butt pushed into his crotch area. It made her comfortable but unfortunately Ranger had to tamp down his emotions. There were a number of weeks left before they could even contemplate taking it further.

Ranger cleared his mind and spoke.

"Les has been called for a mission and he's leaving in a couple of days. He wanted to stop in and see you before he leaves but is clearing it with Bobby first. I know that you thought he was finished, as we all are, but whatever the mission is is near and dear to his heart and he was specifically asked to take it on."

He watched as her body tensed and she gently hissed as her muscles complained. This was precisely the reason that Bobby had forbade bad or concerning news be brought to her. That was also the reason that despite her inquiries, nobody had told her about Lula having issues. Certainly nobody was about to let on that she was not getting out on the date that was circled and from the sounds of it, might possibly be delayed again.

Unfortunately Tank had just returned from another attempted visit and he had been politely but firmly advised that he would not be seeing her today. She was presently in solitary with a disciplinary hearing in three days. It was expected that she would have more days tacked onto her sentence.

~~~o0o~~~

Les looked at his apartment on four. He, like most single military men, had few personal effects due to their nomadic life and ever present danger. It was almost a desire to keep the pain from their fellow soldiers from having to pack up many possessions if they didn't return. Their effects were more memories and feelings and mental happy thoughts rather than knickknacks and pictures and momentos.

He ticked off on his fingers the things he needed to do before he left. Will updated, check; visited family, check; dumped his latest squeeze, check. He wanted to see Stephanie before he left, but Bobby had cautioned him that she was still too delicate to handle the news without some preparation. He would wait, but it was hard.

Meanwhile he took his shifts as scheduled and cleaned up his desk as per procedure. The men could see the signs as well as anyone and only a handshake or a clap on the back confirmed that they were aware. He noted that Ella had made his favorite meals in the past couple of days. Ella had not been officially told, but he suspected that she knew he was leaving.

Les picked up a mug that was sitting on the kitchen counter. It had come from Stephanie when he was healing from his last mishap. It was Army green but the white lettering said:

_If you can't watch your own back, _

_ it's good to have a friend who can_

Les made himself a coffee and sat down with the mug in his hand. He had thought long and hard about taking this one. He had thought he was finished as was the rest of the core team but the phone call last week had made him reconsider his decision.

Leaning back on the couch and putting his feet on the coffee table he grinned. If either Ranger or Ella saw that, he would be ducking either the baseball on Ranger's desk or Ella and her trusty feather duster. He laughed and took his boots off the table, raising his cup in salute to the two.

He and Bobby had already hit the town one last time and after toasting their friendship and all their antics, they had turned melancholy. They had always had each others six and it felt strange that they would be separated for this one. Unfortunately, having Bobby along would not work, even if he wanted to go. Bobby was a very dark African American and he probably wouldn't like the situation he might find himself in.

Les reviewed his plans.

He would be traveling to somewhere in Africa. His complexion lent itself to working in the area and inserting himself into the environment. He had already contacted someone he had worked another project with. His cover was set up and awaiting his arrival. He would step back into the role he had previously acted in and was mentally reviewing the rules and regulations. He had the uniform and would add the new 'decorations' as needed. To the average outsider, it was just a hat, shirt, belt, pants and boots, but to the knowledgeable it was like the medals on a soldier.

Les finished his coffee. He was on monitors for the next shift and until he left. He grimaced at the thought. Monitor ass!


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for your reads and reviews. As always, all mistakes are mine. **

Chapter 3

Stephanie sat in the bed with her back supported by a number of pillows.

Bobby performed his checks and he nodded approvingly. She was healing within his parameters and in some cases had surpassed his expectations.

He looked at her as she waited eagerly for the results.

"Bomber, you are improving each time I do this. If you are feeling up to it, you can start to spend some more time in the living room on the couch, but, and this is not up for debate, NO travelling outside the apartment for a few more days."

He looked at her as her face beamed. She was becoming stir crazy and had taken to counting everything. Nobody needed to know that the comforter had 1016 criss-crossing contrasting threads. Nobody needed to know that it took Ella twelve steps to walk from the kitchen to the bedside, but Ranger did it in nine. Nobody needed to know that Ella took four steps from the fridge to the stove, yet there was only three steps from the stove to the dishwasher.

He looked at her.

"How is your breathing after walking from the bathroom back to the bed. Are you feeling a tightness in your chest, or have trouble with a shortness of breath?"

He looked at her. He had already received the report from both Ella and Ranger but wanted to have her confirm that she was feeling light-headed with the effort. Unfortunately, it was a serious sign that her body was still rebelling and the damage was as extensive as the medical staff in the hospital had warned him about.

She looked down and Bobby could see that she knew.

"I was hoping that it would improve by now, Bobby."

Her voice took on a bit of a whiney tone.

"I don't feel any stronger even though I am doing it on my own now. I don't have to stop and catch my breath anymore, but if I had to move fast, I don't think I could do it safely without difficulty."

Bobby put his hand over hers and gave it a squeeze. She knew he knew.

He had been reading and googling and writing to a number of colleagues. There were a number of things they could suggest, but the final and most invasive was still a heart transplant. Unfortunately, the waiting list was long and very difficult knowing that someone had to die for her to benefit. He knew that Stephanie would be very reticent to go on that list. She had always tried to think of others before herself and the thought of her benefitting from a family losing a member of their own would not go over well.

He lifted her chin up with one finger and made her look at him.

"Steph, we are just on the first step of your recovery. We will take it very slow and as you take another step forward we'll change your care as needed. Remember this, you have already come a long way and everyone is excited for your recovery. I do anticipate you being strong enough to head down to five soon to see the guys and then we will start you out in the gym slowly to build you up. We can get you as far as you are willing to go and we will be taking this one day at a time."

She nodded her head and sighed. Inactivity was not in her vocabulary. Her staples were being removed from her chest later that afternoon and while she envisioned not a pleasant experience, it would be another sign she was improving.

She looked at Bobby.

"Ranger told me that Les is going in the wind. I want to see him before he leaves."

Bobby jerked his head around to look at Ranger and his mouth tightened.

"He's on monitors for a couple more hours. I know he wanted to see you but I told him he couldn't until I cleared you for it."

Stephanie looked at Bobby.

"I want to see him, Bobby. I promise to stay in bed, but I need to see him at least once before he goes, maybe more if it's more than a couple of days before he leaves."

Her eyes beseeched him to agree. Les was more than a friend. While she believed that Ranger was the man she wanted to spend her life with, Lester had been one of her rocks through everything. They had a unique relationship of their own, one of jokes and teasing and simple pranks. He had been the first to tell her that he would have missed her and she valued that admission more than she could ever explain.

Bobby nodded and stood up. He would schedule the staple removal after she and Les had seen each other.

~~~o0o~~~

Les sat at the monitoring station but his mind was on what was going on up on seven. He hoped that Bobby would allow him to visit with Stephanie soon. His schedule for leaving had been moved up and he was now scheduled to fly out tomorrow.

He heard the stairway door open and recognized Bobby's gait as he walked out and onto the control floor. He tried to remain calm as Bobby walked toward him, crossing his fingers.

Bobby stopped behind his chair. He knew that Les knew he was there, but as per protocol he was not allowed to take his eyes off the monitors and he spoke.

"I'm allowing you access to her, buddy. I'll wait until after your visit before I remove the staples. She won't be wanting to see anybody after that."

He turned on his heel and headed back to the stairway to continue on his way to his medical office on four.

Les uncrossed his fingers and grinned. Obviously Stephanie was improving enough that she would be allowed to see him. He knew it was a special request and felt relief that his plea had been answered.

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie woke up from another nap. She reached over to the night table and grasped the little hand mirror laying on top. Looking at her hair, and her face, she grabbed the comb and tried to tame the unruly mess. The effort to work up and over her head began to make her a bit dizzy and she groaned in frustration.

Ranger walked into the room. He had been working in his office and had heard the groan. Taking in the scene quickly, he put his hand out for the comb and motioned for her to lean forward so that he could slide in behind her. She leaned into his strong chest and tried to relax as he began to comb out her hair, taking his time and combing out a little at a time. He could feel her relax against him and lean back. He kept combing even though the tangles were now gone and her hair hung down around her face and over her shoulders. His shoulders were feeling a pinch at the extreme angle but he could take a bit of discomfort if it made her feel better.

If Stephanie had been stronger and doing it herself, she would have put it into a scrunchie and dashed off, possibly with some kind of a hat. Ranger loved her hair. It was just like her personality; wild with a life and an attitude all its own. Taming it and corralling it into some kind of scrunchie and a different personality emerged; calculating and calm but just waiting for that magic moment when a piece of hair worked itself loose and that funny and never-say-die attitude would escape once again.

Grudgingly he put the comb down and climbed out from behind her. She was starting to wriggle which meant that a trip to the bathroom was imminent. He watched as she carefully maneuvered her way out of bed and into the bathroom. He listened as she finished and the door opened. She walked back to bed and climbed in, unhappy that he was now standing by the bed.

Just then, there was a knock on the bedroom door and Les peeked his head in. Stephanie had such a grin on her face that he couldn't stop the smile on his own face.

He walked over to the bed and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Ranger stood on one foot then another and finally spoke.

"I'll be in the office. Keep it G rated and don't stay too long, Santos."

The door softly closed and they were alone in the room. Les sat on the edge of the bed and held her hand in his.

"Bobby grumbled a lot but he gave me permission. I'm glad to be able to see you. Unfortunately I have to leave tomorrow as the time-line has been moved up. If you're feeling up to it early, I'll try to drop in for a couple of minutes."

He looked at her. She was certainly looking better, but that spark of life that was unique to Beautiful was missing. He hoped that by the time he came home, she would be running and jumping around, at least a little. He was under no illusions that she would be 100%. Life just didn't work that way.

She played with the folds on the comforter.

"Les, why did you take this mission? I thought you were happy doing what you do here. You loved the back and forth dealing with clients and I've worked enough with you on installs that placing the equipment in all those sneaky spots gave you a special sense of satisfaction."

He looked at her. How to tell her that if she had died he would have shriveled up inside emotionally. How to tell her that he couldn't watch if she was unable to fully enjoy life the way she wanted to. How to tell her that seeing her laying on that sidewalk had ripped his own heart in two and he wanted to, no, needed to take his anger out somewhere. Everybody at Rangeman used special terms describing Stephanie wanting to fly, doing things her way, leading not following, or freedom to examine life her way.

He had to leave and hope that upon his return she had bounced back. He was not a healer like Bobby. He was a killer. His teeth still grated at the damage that June had done. Ram had done his job and she had died on the way to the hospital.

Les took her hand in his once again.

"I need to do this, Beautiful. Please don't ask me why. I promise that I'll do my best to get back to Rangeman as soon as I can. I promise not to take unnecessary risks and risk your wrath and I will try to get a note back when I can."

Stephanie nodded. It was the best she could hope for.

"Just remember, if you die, I'm going to find you and haunt you, Lester Santos!"

Les laughed.

"I think it's the other way around, Beautiful. If I die, I think I'm supposed to haunt you."

Stephanie leaned toward Les and gave him a hug. Then she kissed him on the cheek and spoke.

"WHEN I see you, I plan to kiss you and hug you so hard that Ranger will be jealous."

She leaned back against the pillows.

Les stood up and began to walk to the door. He looked back at Stephanie and she had tears on her face.

He raced back and gave her a hug and wiped his thumbs under her eyes swiping the tears off her cheeks.

"I'll try my very best to make it back. I'm petitioning to be Best Man at your wedding."

With that, he walked to the door and letting himself out, closed the door behind him with a soft click.

Stephanie stared and talked to the closed door.

"What wedding?"

**Have a good weekend.**

**Myrna**


	4. Chapter 4

**I hope everybody had a good weekend. Unfortunately I think my motorcycling season is winding down until spring. It's too cold to ride in the morning. Yes, I'm a wuss. **

**Thanks to JE for her characters and as always, all mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 4

As suspected, removing the staples was not a pleasant experience and Bobby left the room after having administered pain relief. Both Ella and Ranger were in the living room as he walked out, removing his gloves and dropping them in the wastebasket just outside by the door.

"She'll sleep for awhile after the meds I gave her and that's the best medicine right now. On a positive note, the incision's looking really good and there's no sign of any infection, which we certainly don't need."

He walked out the door. Ella finished in the kitchen and also headed out.

"Call me if you need me, Ranger."

He nodded and sighed.

They had both been reading Bobby's notes on her care and continuing efforts to bring up her strength. There were also the notes on what was thought to be possible scenarios.

Bobby had certainly been doing his homework. He had been looking at everything from simple procedures that were less invasive to the most radical, the heart transplant.

What he was looking into and had documented was a non-invasive procedure called a Mitra Clip, but there was a problem. Unfortunately it was still in the testing stages and hadn't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. It involved making two tiny keyhole incisions and inserting the device that way. The tests were coming back very positive and it appeared to be a good stop-gap to assist the heart or at the very least, the ability to assist a patient for a heart transplant if one was needed.

Before it was even being considered for any patient, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels was absolutely imperative. Stephanie's blood pressure was normally low but with her previous diet, her cholesterol numbers were inching to the high side. It would have to be lowered considerably if she could ever meet the requirements for this procedure, if and when it became available.

~~~o0o~~~

Tank sat in his office. He had just come upstairs from the gym and looking at his hands, he grimaced at the skinned knuckles.

He had returned without seeing his Lula. She was in solitary and was facing another disciplinary hearing. He had no idea what had happened but suspected that after that meeting, her sentence might again be increased by a few more days.

One of the guards had phoned him outside the gates and had given him some information.

She was being targetted. Her attitude was bordering on insolent and unfortunately she was not handling the hierarchy of the inmates inside. They were miffed that she had scored the position of working in an office instead of the kitchen or the laundry and it looked to them that she was getting special treatment and plum assignments and they didn't like it.

Tank sighed. He had tried to caution her about how to conduct herself in there, but unless one had prior knowledge, which he did, you had no idea of how prison life really was. A best case scenario was to shut up and keep your eyes and ears open. Unfortunately his Lula had spoken up just a few days into her sentence and the repercussions were still being felt.

She was losing weight, which was a good thing, but at the same time she was losing muscle mass and not the fat weight. Her face had that unhealthy pallor of being inside too much and her voice was starting to take on that hard edge of someone who could easily fall into the depths of depression or manage to sink into the system and wind up with a much longer sentence.

Tank crossed his fingers and hoped for the best. He had brought with him pictures of possible places to stay that they could share. They all had an area that the cats could be restricted to until the allergy shots took effect.

He had secured permission to leave them for her to peruse and talk to him the next time he was able to see her. He hoped that it would tide her over and give her a bit of hope.

He sighed and pulled the first file off the in-box that seemed to be always overflowing. Maybe he could immerse himself in work and stop worrying.

~~~o0o~~~

Les looked back in his apartment from the doorway. His small pack was at his feet and ready to be swung on his back. He closed the door hoping that he would be back soon to once again inhabit it. In fact, he hoped that he would be back to inhabit it. This mission was different and he had a weird feeling, one he had never had before.

He closed the door and walked down the hall to Bobby's office. Bobby was just getting ready to grab his file on Stephanie as Les stopped in the doorway

"I know the chopper's en route and you have just a few minutes to say bye to the Bomber before you leave. She knows it's going to be short and sweet."

They walked to the elevator together and the door opened. Swiftly heading upward it opened on seven and the apartment door was already open.

Stephanie was sitting on the couch waiting. She had made a special effort to get dressed in street clothes and they were all in bright colors.

Les walked in and Stephanie smiled. She had had Ranger wake her up early so she could get ready and would take a rest later. She wanted Les to see her at her best, or at least trying to appear better.

He sat down carefully on the couch beside her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She was trying to hold it together. Goodbye's were hard for her but she sniffled and forced herself to buck up. There was a little package on the table in front of her.

She motioned for Les to take it. He looked at her.

"Beautiful, you didn't need to do this."

She shook her head at him and then pointed to the package.

"It's not much Les, but I wanted to give it to you before you left. I hope that it will help in some small way."

He carefully opened the top on the tiny box, and a grin spread across his face. It was a tiny dromedary keychain and it looked brand new. Les picked it up and looked at both the front and the back of it. The eye on one side had lashes and on the other, not. He turned it back and forth then looked at her. She gave nothing away and shrugged, then put it into his pants pocket. He felt confident that he could use it somehow to remind himself that it had been given to him by a very good friend, one who was worried about him.

He kissed her again on the cheek as his phone beeped. The chopper was five minutes out and he just had time to head to the roof.

Ranger stood by the door and as Les walked out he followed leaving the door open behind him. Ella was standing by the elevator door and gave him a quick hug. She was his aunt first and a member of Rangeman second.

Ranger and Les walked onto the roof. Both Bobby and Tank were waiting to see him off. He could hear the helicopter in the distance and only had time to give Tank a handshake and Bobby a man hug then Ranger clasped his hand and reached up and grabbing his head, gave him a noogie, messing up his spiky hair.

The chopper softly landed and he tossed in his small pack then climbed in, barely putting on his harness before it lifted off again. He had time to give one more wave and then he was gone.

The men walked to the door and passing back through it, dogged it and continued down the stairs to five.

Ella would stay with Stephanie and they all suspected that there would be tears on each woman's cheeks.

Men did not usually handle woman tears well and they could hide in an office until they had their own emotions under control.

~~~o0o~~~

Les stepped out of the terminal into the smoggy sunlight. He looked up at the sky wondering how many kinds of blues there were between what he was seeing and the vibrant blue of a smog free city.

Grasping his pack a little tighter, he hailed a cab, giving him the address. He was headed to a little hotel in the theatre district that looked like it would be frequented by small-time and wanna-be actors.

His cab pulled up at a non-descript brownstone building. He tossed some bills at the cabbie, thanked him for taking him directly there and exited the cab.

Les walked up to the front door and rang the bell, waiting patiently as he knew that the person manning the camera pointed at him was observing every move.

The door buzzed and he walked in, heading to the desk.

"Name," came the grizzled request from a man sitting on a stool with crutches leaning against the desk.

"Tell Veronica that Leonard is here."

The name tag on the man's shirt said he was going by Larry, spoke.

"Veronica's not here right now. Leave a number and she can call you."

He made to push a piece of paper and a pen over to Les but he shook his head.

"I know her schedule. Unless she's in the hospital tell her that Master Leonard is here."

Larry picked up the phone and spoke softly into the mouthpiece turning his back on Les. He hung up and sighed. Pressing a button beside him, he spoke.

"Take the elevator to three."

Les tamped down the smile and picking up his bag, he walked to the elevator. His finger pressed on the glass button with a faded Up arrow, waiting for it to arrive. He stepped in when the doors opened and pressed 3, watching Larry as the door closed. He noticed that 'Larry' stood up and walked away from the desk without his crutches.

Les stepped out as the elevator door opened. He was standing in the front entrance way of a very large apartment, complete with vintage Persian rugs on the floors, animal skins on the walls and the huge wild animal head positioned so that it gazed over any visitor as they arrived.

Les shuddered to himself. Veronica had the same taste for exotic animals as when he had met her oh so many years ago in Africa.

He waited patiently at the front entrance, having already removed his boots and placing them on the mat by the wall. He knew of her aversion to footwear in the apartment.

He watched the hands on the clock move minute by minute. That too was her trademark. She loved to make an appearance on her time.

There had been a joke running around that the only time Veronica was early was the day she was born. On time for Veronica was at least fifteen minutes late.

He heard a door open down the hall and soft footsteps making their way down the hall. He quickly looked down making sure that his buttoned shirt was properly tucked in, straight and lined up with his belt buckle and zipper. Veronica also hated anyone looking rumpled or not put together.

A small, elderly lady walked into the room and stopped. It had been at least five years since Les had seen her and life had not been kind to her. Her face showed the ravages of the skin cancer she had suffered. She was leaning on a cane as she walked into the room, but her smile of recognition was genuine.

Veronica walked up to Les and reached out her free hand, clasping the hand that Les now held out to her. She moved in and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek and pulled him to walk with her to the living room.

Les looked around as they moved to a couple of chairs overlooking the street below. She settled down heavily in a purple velvet wing-backed chair and motioned him to seat himself in the identical chair on the other side of a small table.

A young girl materialized with a tray containing two cups of coffee and a cream and sugar set. She set it on the small table between them and backed up never turning her back on her employer until she had left the room.

Veronica took her time adding sugar then cream and stirring her coffee. She never looked up until she had her cup in hand and had daintily sipped the drink. Les drank his coffee black and picked up his cup when she did, taking a sip and admiring the taste. He could tell that it was not a domestic blend and was trying to figure out from which district in Africa it had come from.

She smiled as she watched him trying to decide.

"Veronica, knowing you it's either from Tanzania, Ethiopia or Burundi, but you might be sneaking me a blend just to confuse me."

Veronica laughed at Les. She was pleased that he had maintained his discerning knowledge.

"It's my new favorite, Leonard, from Uzuri. I ordered a shipment to be sent to me and just recently received it. I would be honored if you accepted a gift pack from my stores."

Les smiled and nodded his assent. It would be very rude to refuse her gift.

They finished their coffee without a word, enjoying the flavors, knowing that later they would debate the merits of which blends made the grade for the new batch.

Veronica put down her now empty cup and Les cleared his throat. She looked at him as he prepared to speak.

"You have ears in countries that we can only hope to ever obtain information. I need to call in my favor and and at the same time to assist you with your operation. I hope that with all your contacts you can help me to open some doors."

He too had put down the cup and looked at his friend and former employer. Les had gone undercover as a coffee plantation foreman at one of her plantations. He had solved a dangerous kidnapping ring all the while protecting plantation workers from being whisked away and sold to countries up and down the coast.

Veronica had been sad to see him leave and had let him know through her special channels that she had moved to the States for medical treatment. She had also reminded him that she owed him a favor for his efforts and he could call on her if her unique services were ever required.

Les cleared his throat again, remembering at the last minute how much she detested that nervous mannerism, and as he looked up at her and he quickly grimaced with the memory.

While members of the outside world had been less than impressed the fact that slaves were still employed, on her plantations they were well treated and handled with respect. The word 'slave' was really a misnomer. In all but a few cases, her recruitment officers had paid good money for the young men and women they were buying, usually to the parents or relatives. Money and food was so very scarce and if you were strong and healthy, you could be a valuable asset. When their contracts were up, they were provided with letters proving they were free and able to walk away without penalty. It was also noted that many of the men and women had chosen to stay as free workers, earning a wage and continuing to work.

Les prepared to leave. He remembered her unspoken rules of meeting lengths and his time was drawing to an end.

Veronica picked up her cane that was leaning against the table and prepared to stand. Les stood up and offered her his arm to give her more support and she smiled at the offer. He really had been a good employee and she would have liked to have kept him on. She was overjoyed that he would be working on her largest plantation. She had already moved her people around and anybody questioning her decision had been dealt with, firmly.

Les waited for her to steady herself before he lowered his arm.

She looked at him before preparing to leave the room.

"Your position is waiting for you. You may recognize some of the workers. I know that you will do your job."

There was a slight threat to that and they both recognized it for what it was.

Les bowed slightly, and backed his way out of the room, stooping to pick up his shoes on the way out. He knew he would not be returning to this apartment again. Veronica did not stay in one place for too long a period before moving on. It had kept her safe and alive for this long.

He slipped on his boots in the elevator on the way down. The door opened and another man was sitting at the desk with the name tag of 'Larry' on his shirt. He silently held out a large and bulky envelope and watched as Les headed for the door. Les noted that he was one-legged.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you once again for reading and reviewing. Characters not in the Stephanie Plum series are my imagination. All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 5

Lula sat on the hard metal bed in her minuscule solitary cell. She shimmied back to the edge of the thin mattress, leaned against the gunmetal gray cement wall and brought her legs up and wrapped her arms around them. Looking in through the tiny, wire-embedded non-breakable glass, one would have seen a broken person hiding in the corner.

A tear escaped out of a duct and made its way down her cheek. Her shoulders hurt where she had been manhandled by the staff as they forced her down the hall to the little room. Her baggy pants rubbed against her bruised and bloodied knees when she had been knocked to the ground by the guards and Lula wondered if the knees that pushed into her back as she lay sprawled on the floor would leave a bruise.

She remembered that Tank was scheduled to arrived for his twice a week visit and lamented that he would leave once again without seeing her.

Lula wondered how her life had fallen so low. She was paying the price for accepting payment and playing the role of a drug mule. She had done what she thought was right and had admitted her part in the large round-up and pleading guilty and accepting her punishment. Her lawyer, Jason Jamieson had tried to dissuade her from taking the plea bargain, saying that nothing had been proven.

Donny Anderson was fighting the law with a very high priced lawyer and for his part was looking at dragging it through the courts for possibly years. He was still walking around, albeit a man free with bail conditions and here she was sitting in a cell, dressed in prison garb and laceless, slip-on shoes. Her hair was now rather short since she could not control it with trips to the beauty salon and had made the decision that short was the new in-style, at least in Lula's world.

She wondered how Stephanie was doing. When she had visited with the guard waiting outside the room, she had just awakened from being unconscious and very nearly dying. Tank had given few details other than to say that she was now on seven in the Rangeman building and under Bobby's care. She had asked how she was responding to treatment and Tank had only said that it would be a slow process. He had put his blank face up and refused to elaborate and that in itself had worried her. By now Stephanie should have been bouncing back, but the gunshot to her chest had apparently caused some severe and lingering damage.

She had applied for telephone privileges but as yet permission had not been approved. She needed to check in with Stephanie.

Lula tried to figure out how long she had been locked up. One day was just like another and the only way she was keeping track was by how many times Tank was allowed to visit. She mentally counted how many times he had come and how many times he had been refused.

Thinking about it, she had been there one month tomorrow. Unfortunately, she had already been assessed a penalty of three days for a previous altercation and the hearing she was scheduled for tomorrow would probably add a few more. She was potentially looking now at the very least three months and one week before she could get out, assuming that nothing happened in the next eight weeks.

Lula was not a religious person but she prayed to whichever god who would listen that she get through this ordeal.

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie pressed the button for the elevator. Bobby had just left the apartment and had grudgingly allowed her to head to five for one hour only. He was already on the floor preparing for her arrival. No hugging, and no jostling from the men. She was to sit down either at her cubicle or in Ranger's office. She was on a strict diet and anything she wanted to eat was to be cleared with Ella first.

The elevator arrived and she stepped in, trying not to dance with excitement. For all she knew, Bobby was watching her on the camera.

The door opened and she stepped out. The men looked up and smiled but stayed in their places. Bobby had really put the fear of god in all of them and their asses were staying in their chairs. Bobby was a healer but he was also a mean and vicious fighter and nobody wanted to test him. His temper was short right now having to keep Stephanie from overstepping and tiring herself out.

She saw that Ranger's door was closed and headed to her cubicle, hoping that there was something in her box to work on. She was feeling so very useless and once again she was lamenting that she was costing Rangeman money in both health care and lack of productivity. On top of that, she had noticed a laptop left by accident in the apartment and had signed onto her bank account information, lamenting that she was still getting paid for basically laying around doing nothing.

She could hear Rex rustling around in his cage by the monitoring station. He had turned into a mascot of sorts and seemed to like to sit on shoulders of the men as they worked the monitors. What a traitor he was, preferring the strong men in black to his mommy who had looked after him for so long. She shrugged in resignation. Men liked to stick together and Rex had decided which side his bread was buttered on, or in this case, how many slivered almonds he could digest.

She buzzed Ella and waited for the elevator door to open. Ella walked to her with a covered cake dome in one hand and in the other a small plate with a square on it wrapped in cellophane. She glanced at Ranger's closed door and her eyes twinkled. Stephanie wanted to celebrate coming down to five for the first time after her injury and was risking Ranger's wrath.

Ella stopped by her cubicle and nodded at the dome.

"I counted on the monitors who was here and brought up enough for everyone. Yours is the one here, dear. I tried to keep to Bobby's strict requirements so it might taste a bit different than a normal square, but it's safe for you. Luis and I tried it and it tastes pretty good, all things considered.

She left, watching as the men were looking at Stephanie with questioning glances.

Stephanie took the domed plate and motioning for the men to follow, she headed for the break room.

"I'm celebrating my first day back at work and I wanted to celebrate it with the men I love, so dig in guys, but don't dally. Ranger could return at any minute."

The men grinned like little boys and dived in. Eating their sweet in the break room Manny and Woody headed to the monitors for a few minutes so that Cal and Hal could come and have their sweet too.

The stairway door opened and Tank and Ranger walked onto the floor. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and they headed to their offices, closing the doors behind them.

Stephanie sat in her cubicle looking like she was preparing to work. The men had resumed their work and it looked like a normal day.

There was only one file in her in-box and Stephanie pulled it to herself. It looked at first glance to be an easy one and she turned on her computer. The FTA was a Burgian and she barely had to use her search engines to track him down.

Wendall McKeller had been involved in petty theft for as long as she was alive. Winter was coming and he wanted a warm place to stay for about four months so he would do something stupid to get himself arrested and locked up.

She wondered why he was in the Rangeman's sights. Had Vinnie lost his part-time BEA again? The bond was pretty small for them to be taking it on. She shrugged her shoulders. She was so out of the loop.

Her Grandma Mazur had mentioned that Wendell was causing trouble again for his mother and she had booted him out of the house. His new favorite hiding place was the shed behind the Lady of the Lourdes Church on McMaster. The kind-hearted flock made sure that a plate of something was left in a container for him each evening. They had a schedule who was up next to provide the meal and Edna had explained that they were on another rotation through the flock. Deep down the parishioners were hoping that the State would look after him soon. He really needed a bath, some new or cleaner clothes and certainly a haircut, but they were too polite to say so.

Just as she made the appropriate notes in the margin and placed the information on the computer to be logged in, she could hear Bobby's voice as he was coming out of the stairwell.

He walked over to her with his deceptively quick gait and literally started to make clucky-clucky noises with his tongue.

"Steph, you've been here just over an hour and time to leave the floor. Ella has already put your snack in the kitchen upstairs and I want you to not just collapse on the couch but lay down in bed. You've been doing a lot of sitting and I want you to stretch out."

He made to reach over and hit the power button, but Stephanie beat him to it. She had at least contributed a little bit and if she listened to him today, well, maybe tomorrow she could stay down a little longer. She had learned the hard way not to cross Bobby.

He had admonished her not to spend too much time sitting on the couch and she had thought that he would never know that she was watching tv as much as she had. Unfortunately one evening he had made a surprise visit and her back and her tummy muscles were complaining of the amount of time sitting and scrunched up with her feet tucked under her. He had not made any threats but the next morning the tv was missing when she made her way into the living room. There was a note on the coffee table that the next time she disobeyed his order to not rest laying flat in bed, she would be restricted to the bedroom, without Ranger!

He watched as she walked to the elevator trying to be as strong as she could but her legs and her breathing betrayed her and he had a hand under her elbow as she entered the elevator. Just that short period of time and she was breathing like she had run a mile. The door closed behind them and she leaned against him as his arm went around her.

"I'm not getting any better am I, Bobby? I feel almost the same as when I came home from the hospital. I hate that I'm such a burden. Maybe I should just move home and you guys won't have to watch me so much."

Bobby held her as the elevator rose. He had been expecting this and unfortunately he was prepared for a number more of these feeling sorry for oneself episodes. He had been warned that this too was to be expected. She was such a person of action and sitting down was definitely not on her list of things she liked to do. Her metabolism had dictated constant movement and now having to sit or lay down was going against everything she could relate to.

She passed through the kitchen, checking what was on the counter and picked up a small bowl of fruit as she continued on into the bedroom. Putting the fruit on the nightstand, she sat down on the bed, trying to not show how tired she really was, but Bobby was not fooled. One hour and that was it, tops. Tomorrow he would check her out before agreeing to even that.

He watched as she lifted her feet onto the bed and lay back against the pillows that Ella seemed to make fluffy and inviting. Her hand reached for the bowl of fruit and she brought it to sit on the bed beside her. She smiled at Bobby and took a bite of a cantalope, then speared a sliver of nectarine. He nodded and left the room.

Stephanie put the piece of fruit back into the bowl and set the bowl on the night table. In less than a minute, she was making her sleepy sounds. Bobby had listened outside the door and mentally added it to the file. He wondered why she didn't appear to be hungry.

He was surprised that even napping this much during the day she was sleeping all night. Ranger had confirmed that she rarely woke up, or even turned to a new position. Everything was noted on her file and was reviewed on a continuing basis.

Her specialist appointment was in four weeks and hopefully she would be feeling stronger. If not, then they would have to look at other options.

~~~o0o~~~

Ranger and Tank checked the camera feeds on their office computers. They had walked into the control room and everything was functioning normally, but something felt off.

They both toggled their computer mice and backed up the camera feeds and watched as Ella dropped the dome on Stephanie's desk then disappeared back into the stairwell. They watched as Stephanie led a procession to the break room, spoke then watched as the men devoured their sweet then disappeared back to their work spaces. They watched as Stephanie sat down in a chair and opening up the cellophane, took a bite of her sweet and they could just about hear the moan by the look on her face.

Tank phoned Ranger.

"I missed her, and I know the men are happy to see her for however long she can stay."

He hung up, knowing that Ranger would never admit the same thing, but his grunt was confirmation enough.

~~~o0o~~~

Les climbed out of the passenger side of the Land Cruiser. He was dressed in his foreman's outfit and he could see many eyes on him as he motioned for his luggage to be taken into the house.

He was on Veronica's largest plantation and was assuming the duties of the recently transferred foreman, a man who had held the position for a number of years.

He was under no illusions that word was spreading like wildfire about his reputation for fairness but instant obedience. Unfortunately he knew how to use the large bull whip left for disciplinary problems and had been forced to use it on occasion.

He mentally looked down at his uniform. The leather hat was the color of straw, a sign granted to the position. The shirt was white, a button down soft material that never seemed to wrinkle in the blazing heat. The pants were khaki colored and were tucked into desert boots with the leg overlapping the prescribed one inch over the boot. It was the belt that told the story. It was made of thick leather, fairly plain to the unknowledgeable but to anyone in the industry it spoke like a resume.

It showed that Leonard had been a foreman for many years. He was the overlord to over a thousand slaves at various times. The colorful embedded beads spoke volumes. Brown beads denoted how many slaves he had been in charge of, blue were how many he had re-captured after they tried to escape, and red gave credit to those who had escaped to freedom. Leonard's belt had not one red tinged bead. He was working in a hard and dangerous job and the men and women who worked the plantations were warned by the belt every time he was in the area.

He demanded respect for the position. He carried a gun in a holster on his hip but under one pant leg was a long knife in a protected sheath. There was a bulge in the small of his back where he liked to carry his Glock. His philosophy was one shot over the head of a fleeing slave as a warning only. In his experience, if they continued to flee, a shot to the legs would bring them down for recapture. Five lashes with the whip in front of all the people on the plantation followed by imprisonment in an open cage prominently placed in the main yard completed the punishment. Leonard usually had very few attempt a second time.

He beckoned the field supervisors to approach. They bowed their heads in respect and their eyes stayed looking at the ground as they gave their reports on how many were working a field and what they were working on today. They gave an estimation of field completion and the tentative plan for tomorrow's work.

Leonard nodded his head. He recognized a number of the supervisors who had moved up from slave to worker to their current position. He knew they would remember him from the last time he had been there and his philosophy.

He looked at one man who he remembered as Max. Max was not his real name but as a slave they had been renamed to make it easier than trying to pronounce their correct name. He noted that Max was now wearing the outfit of a free slave meaning that he had chosen to remain on the plantation after receiving his paper of freedom.

"Are there any disciplinary problems I need to be aware of?"

Max shook his head.

"Mr. Whitaker took care of them before he left, Sir. He wanted you to have a clean slate to start with."

Leonard nodded and barked that they were dismissed.

He climbed back into the passenger seat of the Land Cruiser. He wanted to take a ride around the area and see for himself what had changed. Two bodyguards climbed into the back seat.

Leonard listened as the driver gave a quick commentary of the outbuildings on the grounds and where the new territory had been amalgamated. From the sounds of it, Veronica had convinced a small landowner to part with his land and move away. He had also signed over his own group of slaves and free workers. Leonard smiled to himself. She bargained very, very hard. He assumed that one of the conditions of selling was continuing to breathe.

It was a hard life out here. Survival of the fittest, and that did not just extend to the wild animals that still roamed.

His hand slipped into the right hand pocket of his pants and he smiled to himself as he felt the tiny keychain with the dromedary on it. Les had checked the history of the dromedary and its meaning. To receive one from a friend wished them safe travels and return. To dream of one meant that the giver was wishing them a financial windfall and an exciting relationship in the near future.

He sent a silent prayer that Beautiful was right and that she was continuing to improve.


	6. Chapter 6

**Once again, thank you for the kind reviews. All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 6

Ranger watched with concern as each day came and went and Stephanie continued to recover. She had received guests in the apartment; her family, and her friends, Mary Lou and Connie.

He noted that while she enjoyed their company she was exhausted by the time they entered the elevator to vacate the building and sometimes she couldn't even make her way back to the bedroom to crash. More than once he had come into the room and gently picked her up and carried her to bed, removing clothing as needed and tucking her in.

Bobby had spoken to him about running himself too ragged. He was tired from listening at night as she slept, catnapping himself as he watched over her but he refused Bobby's offer to stay with her so that he could crash in an empty apartment for a good night's sleep. He was continuing to watch over her and would until either it improved enough for him to relax or the situation changed.

Ranger had done his own research and had confirmed in his mind all that Bobby had also researched.

Fortunately, Ranger had his own information highway to delve into and he was checking on the possibility of the Mitra Clip being inserted into Stephanie and not being part of any study or experiment. He was looking into flying his Babe to a clinic in either Sweden or Norway where there were a number of doctors who were already performing the procedure. Unfortunately, travel was the problem. Money was not an issue but he knew that Stephanie would balk at him hemorrhaging money on her once again. She couldn't just up and fly in her condition. He was looking at using the Rangeman plane and getting it retrofitted for someone injured.

She, on the other hand, believed in the American system and was willing to wait her turn; unfortunately time was not on her side. Bobby's tests were proving that she was backsliding slightly.

He watched as she woke up each day wishing that her strength had miraculously reappeared and disappointed when by the end of the day she was as exhausted as ever. He could sense the depression start to catch up with her again and she meekly obeyed all the orders both Bobby and Ella were placing on her.

He wondered how to get her excited about the future. Would she ever be able to go back to bounty hunting, something she held near and dear to her heart? Would she ever be able to dig into an extensive file of information and find that needle in a haystack that had eluded his men in their quest?

He knew that heading to Point Pleasant with its sandy beaches and the wind coming on shore was something that she always looked forward to. He had mentioned that after the specialist appointment and if she agreed, that they would take a few days and head there. He had hoped that Stephanie would perk up at the news but she only shrugged her shoulders.

He kinda wished that Lula was around to knock some sense into her. How many days left before she got out?

~~~o0o~~~

Lula shuffled back to her cell. She had deflected additional time since the video camera had very clearly shown the hearing that she had been attacked and was only defending herself. She was still only three days over the three months before she would be released and she was going to do her darnedest to keep it that way.

Stephanie needed her and hopefully so did Tank. Time would tell if he was willing to continue a relationship with a felon.

She looked at the envelope waiting for her on her table as she walked in. She sat down heavily on the plastic chair that groaned under her and pulled the envelope to herself. There was a note on the front and it read.

_Lula Baby. Here are some pictures of a few places I thought we might like to look at when you are able to and willing. There are dedicated spaces to corral the cats until the shots take effect. We can talk about it the next time I see you._

_Be strong and be careful. Luv ya baby._

_Tank_

Lula looked at the pictures and a tear slid down her cheek. He was waiting for her. He still wanted to have her move in with him.

She flipped through the pictures a few times. They all looked so expensive. How could she help to pay her share of the rent? She had barely scraped up enough to rent that rat-trap of an apartment and this new place still needed to be furnished? Her head hurt thinking about it. Vinnie better be agreeable about a pay raise, or she needed another job.

She had a thought. Would it be possible to start her allergy shots while she was still locked up? It was worth a try. A number of the correctional workers had cats and she sneezed whenever she came near them. Maybe she could use it as an excuse to start the shots. It was certainly worth a try.

Lula sat down with the general request form that had been in her information package when she arrived. Filling it out, she put it on the corner of the bed to take with her when she headed to supper. She could drop it in the box by the dining room. Hopefully she would get an answer soon.

~~~o0o~~~

Les woke up to the morning sounds of a working plantation. He could hear the trucks starting up and the workers leave for the fields. He got out of bed and headed for the shower to start the day, knowing that when he reappeared in his room there would be a freshly laundered uniform to wear, his breakfast laid out on the table and the morning newspaper freshly ironed and folded neatly to the side.

He sat and sipped his coffee planning his day. He had a million things to do. Check the accounts, order supplies, pay the bills and check the markets. He needed to know which futures he should be watching and when to jump selling the produce coming out of the fields.

It was hard work and the foreman earned every penny of their wages. In addition, they had to take responsibility if they chose wrong or weather wiped out the crop.

Last but certainly not least, he had to get his name back out there for his real mission.

Les sighed. It was going to be a tough assignment. The last time he had done this he had to return to Rangeman and take a couple of months off to recuperate. He grimaced at the memory. Well he should clarify that. His mind only needed a couple of weeks but the bullet wounds required more recuperation time before he was back to full-time.

Les pulled the burned phone out of it's hiding place and made the call from memory. He waited until the three rings then punched in another set of numbers.

A voice answered the phone.

Les spoke.

"Disease works in mysterious ways."

~~~o0o~~~

Joe stepped out of his office and stretched. He was just coming off a tough shift. Unfortunately, or fortunately, there had been a gang-related shoot-out last night and there were now more bodies in the morgue waiting for identification and release to the funeral homes and their families.

The carnage was still being cleaned up as he had driven to the hospital hoping that at least one of the wounded would say something, but he was not expecting that miracle to happen. Even wounded and under arrest, their tongues were tied and they were staying true to their allegiance. Rightly or wrongly, their other family as they came to know it, had either defended and saved them, or thrown them under the bus.

He could feel a text message arrive as the phone vibrated on his hip. He knew who it was even before he pulled his phone from its holder and peeked. Sophia was just coming off shift and wondered if he was available for breakfast.

Joe smiled. He loved her breakfast. She was passionate in the bedroom and was adventurous. He had thought of himself as quite the lover but Sophia had been as exuberant as he was.

At the same time, she was sweetness and light and everything he had ever dreamed that a girlfriend should be. She had her own place which was always spotless when he showed up. She could cook. Boy could she cook. If he had to make a choice right now, she was better at cooking Italian than his mother, maybe even his grandmother! She wanted to find a man and settle down. Her time clock was ticking she said and at 29 she was more than ready to take the next step and make it happen.

Joe discretely adjusted himself.

He was ready to end this day and head over for breakfast. Who knows, she might even feed him later!

He sent a quick note to her. No words but a few of those little icons that were so popular on messages now. A happy face, and a thumbs up.

If he hurried, he might still find her in the shower.

~~~o0o~~~

Tank received a text and he sighed with relief. Lula was back in general population and no additional time had been added. He could plan for his next visit. The envelope had been delivered.

He smiled to himself as much as Tank really smiled. It was more like his face relaxed from its usual calculating scowl, but only for a brief moment. It did not look good to walk around with a goofy grin on one's face and nobody would ever admit that Tank looked 'goofy'.

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie stepped onto the floor and headed to her cubicle. Once again she was under a one hour window. She had successfully convinced Bobby that she needed to start to work her way back by doing something other than sleeping. If her body was rebelling, at least she could use her mind to work on something. Stewing and grumbling were not helping to make her days go by and just the little exercise would prepare her for a more extensive activity period in the gym. She argued that when she was finally cleared for an exercise regime that it would go a long way in fighting this to a successful conclusion.

Once again there was only a single file in her box and she eagerly pulled it to her. This one was a bit more difficult and she once again fired up the search engines and set to work. The hour flew by and her watched beeped. She was trying to take responsibility for her actions.

Stephanie stood up and placed the now completed file in the box to be acted on. She had found a bit of information that the guys had overlooked but since they were men would not know of a woman's need for special nail appointments with respect to gel nails. They could now find her and close this file down.

She stood up and stretched and her shirt rose up and over her pants. A couple of the guys averted their eyes at the large scar that would be part of her for the rest of her life. They all carried scars of one kind or another but the long and ugly incision would be a reminder to all how close she had come to never returning to them.

She walked toward the elevator to return to seven, but the door to Ranger's office was open and she peeked in.

He was working at his desk with files spread out. His head raised and a smile peeked out from under his, what she called, his working face.

Ranger leaned back into his chair and beckoned her to enter. She walked in and made to stop in front of his desk, but he beckoned her with a crooked finger to come closer, then closer still and then reached for her to place her on his lap.

Stephanie sighed at the memory of how many times he used to do that 'before'. She lay her head against his shoulder and made a happy sound as her lips found a favorite spot between his neck and his clavicle bone.

Ranger's arms wrapped around her and they sat in silence, reveling in a favorite position. He was hoping that it was a sign that she still seemed fairly strong after being on the floor and working. Maybe she really was starting to improve.

Bobby's voice could be heard coming from the control room.

"Anybody seen the Bomber? Her shift is over and when I checked with Ella she said she's not back on seven."

Someone obviously pointed to Ranger's office because he materialized in the door with a worried look on his face.

Stephanie sat up with a sigh.

"Hi Bobby. I was just leaving and saw Ranger's door open so I came in to say hi."

He looked concerned that she might have lost strength to even make her way upstairs but she shook her head.

"I'm feeling stronger today and as I told you, if I can take my mind off being sick, I'm starting to feel better. I can just feel the difference today and I want to start extending it even a few minutes more each day. I'm tired of feeling sick and I want to feel well."

He nodded and looking at Ranger pointedly before he backed out of the room.

Bobby smiled as he walked to the stairway. Stephanie had always drawn strength from Ranger and while it might come back to bite her on the ass later today, that little extra time down on the floor was a sign, and hopefully a good sign.

Bobby smiled and lesser men would have been worried. It was time for another one of those surprise evening checks. He hoped that the results would show that she was on the road to regaining her strength.

In the back of his mind a niggling worry still remained.

~~~o0o~~~

Les fell into bed each evening and woke up each day ready to once again assume the reins of responsibility. The coffee beans were ready to be picked and all workers had been moved into those fields. Down the road, cotton was almost ready and next on the schedule and weather permitting, everything would go as planned. After that, well then there were the vegetables again.

Veronica had built this plantation up from a very small operation. She had not stepped onto any of the plantations for a number of years but her weekly reports demanded detail. Nobody wanted to have her contact them with questions that they could not answer and many men before and probably some after would be called on the carpet to explain their actions.

Meanwhile Les was continuing to gather tidbits of information. He had contacted his informants from the mission years ago and they had their ears to the ground. He had been brought in to substantiate that there was illegal activity going on. It was suspected that there were some government official hands in the cookie jar and the need to run the operation on a secretive and need-to-know basis was imperative.

There were some rumors of an unofficial gold mine being worked. At first glance, trying to hide an operation as large as a mine was mind-boggling but with enough security to keep any and all away, it was possible. At the same time, there was also some whispers that an as yet unnamed eastern country was behind the clandestine operation. They appeared to be wanting to skirt the somewhat mundane idea of paying fair market value for the gold and adding it to their considerable reserves at the same time. What was also beginning to become apparent was the fact that the labourers were being picked up one here and one there. To the unassuming it appeared that slaves had attempted escape from different plantation operations, but this time they were not being tracked down and found quite as easily.

Les was moving slowly, very, very slowly. He might take a small side trip on his way to the grain exchange while in town. He might use the burn phone in an alley before stopping at the bank to sign out the bags of money from the bank for payday. He had a computer hidden in his quarters to upload to a satellite his findings. Everything was done without prying eyes.

As for prying eyes, he was still waiting on the satellite pictures of a few areas he was keying in on. Unfortunately he was having trouble getting permission for a few fly-overs.

Les walked out to the square. It was early but the sun was already beating down and it was proving to be another very, very warm day. Unfortunately he was going to have to dispense some justice today and the bull whip was coiled up and in his hand. The slaves and workers had been marshalled into the main yard and stood quietly with only whispers here and there.

A man was already tied to the post spreadeagled. His shirt was off and he was standing with his head hung down. He had tried to injure one of the supervisors with a shovel and before the others had knocked him down and subdued him he had broken the man's shoulder. Now, Les would be down one supervisor and one of his best workers and that would make getting this crop off a bit more challenging.

Les had tried to question the man as to the reason but he was silent. There had been rumors but until Les checked them out, unfortunately justice needed to be meted out, now.

Silence descended as he walked purposefully to the middle. The whip flicked a bit as his hand moved. Others would not have cleaned the whip before using it, but Les held out his hand for a cloth and carefully wiped the entire length, taking his time. This served two purposes. One, to let the anticipation of what was about to happen build and one was for everyone to see both Les and the victim and how they reacted. Howls and screams were both enlightening and telltale, but watching to see how Les performed his job was also very, very telling to the worker population.

Les strode up to the man. He was tall, and very, very muscular. The muscles on his upper body rippled as he shifted. This man had never used weights or a fitness room in his life but he had the same look as Rangemen personnel who spent hours in the gym.

Once again he asked the man for an explanation of his actions and once again the man had shaken his head and refused to speak.

Les stepped back and the whip snaked over the man's back with a snap. To his credit, not a word was spoken but a silent grimace. One.

Les took his time. He had been tortured by the best and the anticipation was almost worse than the punishment. Not knowing when the next strike would be made one tense up.

The whip snaked out again. This time there was a slight moan as the tail slid along the rib cage leaving a long red mark. Two.

Les paused. The women were quietly weeping, but he was watching out of the corner of his eye, a young girl. She was being supported by women on either side of her and her grief was almost over the top. He now knew who the man was protecting.

Three more lashes and he signaled that the punishment was complete.

The workers were herded to the trucks for the trip to the fields and after they left, the man was untied and taken to the infirmary for treatment. He would spend two days in the cage and then would return to the fields, the punishment completed.

Les watched from afar. He noted that the girl in question was headed to the washing shed where the produce was prepared for shipment. He would get some more information before he moved.

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie had turned the corner. Her strength was increasing and her numbers were holding steady on her blood pressure. What was exciting was her cholesterol levels were inching down, closer and closer to the magic number that was required for any further treatment.

Bobby was confident in his own mind that the Mitra Clip was the way to go. Not too invasive and all tests had come back that in some cases it was more than a stop-gap solution. Nobody wanted her to have to go down the full heart transplant road. At the same time, they all hoped that with her amazing will to survive and recover and her body that was actually in pretty good shape for someone who never really looked after herself that she would overcome any obstacle that stood in her way. Maybe her body would heal itself. Stranger things had happened.

Speak of the devil and Stephanie came down the stairs to four. She had slowly built up going up and down the stairs starting with one flight at a time. Nothing too strenuous or fast or she would have dizzy spells, but she was really trying.

Bobby watched as she hopped up on the examining table. Her breathing was almost normal, but her eyes shone with excitement.

"I jogged the first flight today, Bobby. I didn't see black spots or anything. In fact, I passed Tank."

He squeezed her hand in congratulations. Giving her a few minutes to bring her heart rate back to normal, he sat on his little rolling stool, doing a quick mental check on her condition.

Eyes clear, check; increased breathing, up but slowing down, check; clammy skin, no; nervous swinging of leg, no.

He pulled the bp stand closer and she stuck out her arm, ready. He put it on and let it set itself and record todays numbers.

He nodded as the machine beeped. Her numbers were good and her respirations were lowering. Marking it all down, he smiled.

Stephanie sat waiting for the results. She had had the cholesterol test yesterday and knew that whoever Bobby sent it to was fast with the results. Money talked and Rangman was a very good customer.

Bobby tried to draw out the suspense but he was jumping for joy inside.

Stephanie, if she had been standing on the ground would have stamped her foot.

"Bobby, tell me the number. I know it's better. This diet you have me on has to be doing the trick. Unfortunately with hardly any sugar, I feel like jumping Ranger's bones, doctor's orders or not!"

Bobby grimaced. TMI. Sometimes, as the medic he was privy to information that best be left, shall we say, in the bedrooms of Rangeman, and this was no different.

He chose his words carefully.

"Stephanie," uh oh. Full name here.

"The doctor said no until his appointment. That's in three days, Bomber. THREE DAYS. Take a shower, take another walk up and down the halls, do whatever."

He did not mention that Ranger had just left after complaining of the very same thing. It must be pretty hard to live upstairs with each other literally wanting to tear the clothes off each other in their eagerness. He thought that he might be needing a cold shower after this himself. He'd already been to the gym.

Unfortunately Bobby was in somewhat the same situation. His girlfriend had just been released after a D and C. She had begun to experience very heavy periods and while the results had come back clear, she was also under orders. Bobby had already booked time off when she was cleared for sexual activity.

Stephanie hopped off the table and headed for the door. She was hoping that Ranger was out on some kind of take-down or errand or she might just go against doctor's orders and locking him in his own office, get some relief there.

It was going to be a long three days.

**A/N – I can just tell that you were grimacing at Les administering punishment, but his life as a Foreman of a very large establishment dictates that sometimes justice must be served. It is cruel and it is harsh, but their job and possibly their life depends on using a show of force when required.**

**(I promise to make it up to the man later)**

**Myrna**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the interesting reviews. Thanks also to JE for allowing us to use, and in some cases, abuse her characters. All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 7

Lula was doing her job, filing in the main office at the prison. While she had never particularly liked it at Vinnie's, this was interesting. It appeared as long as she finished the pile each day, constant supervision was almost non-existent.

She'd get a request to bring out a file and having usually just filed it would bring it out promptly. There were so many on-going projects going on, it was easy to keep the current ones close at hand.

She had been called back a few times to find a missing file later in the evening, after the office had closed and then, with a guard in the room, had made quick work of retrieving the file and handing it off, then had been led back to her cell.

She had heard positive comments on how fast she could file and retrieve files and her smile grew. She was feeling pretty good about her system. It worked for her.

Lula had eventually come to some kind of agreement with some of the inmates and her record continued to be clean. Every night she marked an X over another day on her purchased calendar. Tank was still coming twice a week and they were discussing the package he had left her.

She was happy that the prison doctor had agreed to start her on the shots and after only a few weeks, she was already noticing the difference. She was still reacting as the guards with cats came near, but the reaction was slowly decreasing. Lula had not let Tank know what she had arranged in case it would not work, but he, being observant had noted on a couple of occasions that she was not sneezing so much when he came. Normally he changed into a clean uniform that he kept at Rangeman that had no cat hairs or dandruff on it but a few times he had raced from a call to the prison.

He wanted to ask, but since she had not volunteered the information, he kept quiet. It was her news to relay but he was proud of the fact that she had possibly found a way around the problem. One of his cats had just had a litter of kittens and while they were still small, it was fun to sit and watch them as they opened their eyes, started to walk around and learned to play fight with their siblings.

Tank loved to watch both human and feline interaction and he had learned a lot looking after a whole building of men, and a small room with cats. There were the dominant ones, the submissive ones, and the protective ones. There were the bullies and the bullied. While survival of the fittest was the norm in the animal world, survival of the smartest and the luckiest was to be cherished in the human world at the same time.

He liked to watch a little spitfire in the litter. She didn't look, or act like her siblings. She had an attitude all her own and whoever had the pleasure of getting her was in for some fun. He had secretly named her Stephanie but he would never, ever divulge that to anyone. He had most of this litter already spoken for but this little one needed a special home. She was unique. Her spirit was unbreakable and her drive to get to a nipple for nourishment or later the food or water bowl reminded him of Little Girl and her love of all things food.

He picked her up after her dinner and lay down on the couch with her sitting on his chest. He would hate to let her go when the time came.

A good friend wanted an older cat for their family and didn't want the hassle of raising a kitten. They had children who wanted a lap cat to sit with them and watch tv, help with homework or give valuable advice on video games. He had a cat that would just fit right in. She loved him, but would prefer to be in a one-cat family. If he gave the family Molly, then he would only have one cat after the litter was gone. He was seriously thinking that this little one would make a great addition to his family. He needed to think about it some more. He had only allowed his cats to have one litter and he already had made arrangements to have the mother spayed when she was feeling better. He had no plans to start up a cat-house with multiple cats around. He also recently made the decision that any cat now living in the house would be spayed, having had a litter or not. If this little one came to stay, she would never have kittens. A part of him thought of Little Girl once again and her declaration that she never wanted to ever get pregnant.

He watched as she worried at one of his shirt buttons. Her ears were laid back and she set her sights on taking that button off the shirt. Her sharp, very sharp baby teeth tried to bite the button in half but it was defeating her. She moved back and lay down watching it, deciding on her next move. Her little paw slowly moved forward trying to pull it off the shirt but it held fast. Unfortunately for the button, it had edged its' way up and it was almost as if a light bulb turned on in her little head. Her tiny body moved and Tank watched as she got the thread holding the button in place in her teeth and tried to chew it off.

Tank picked her up and set her back into the box with her family. She was certainly a smart one, and one who would need to be watched. Maybe Stephanie was a good name for her, after all.

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie came out of the doctor's office and everyone in the waiting room mentally stepped back.

Bobby was behind her and even he too was uncomfortable being in the same room.

She marched out the door and headed for the elevator. Bobby was on his phone and he looked worried.

He needed to warn Ranger. He suspected that there would be fireworks tonight, and not the good kind either!

Stephanie walked past the vehicle that she had arrived in, ignoring the open door and proceeded to start walking down the road. She could hear a vehicle start up and follow her, all the while keeping their distance but maintaining a distance close enough in case of trouble. She looked around at the quiet streets and snarled to herself.

All that work, and dieting, and sleeping, and building herself up and the results were the same! No sexual activity allowed, no extra exercise, no desserts, no greasy food of any kind, no, no, no! This was worse than death. In fact, she almost hoped that someone would just put her out of her misery right now and be done with it all.

Stephanie saw a park bench and headed for it, sitting down and pulling her legs up and sitting with her arms wrapped around them. She put her face down onto them and let her emotions take over. What was the use? She thought she had been doing so well and was feeling better, but the specialist had just burst her bubble of happiness and took away all her plans for the near future.

She could almost feel her sidearm but remembered that Bobby had taken it from her before they went in. For some reason, doctors didn't like guns in their examining rooms. Why was Bobby allowed to carry? Oh yeah, he was a Man! Girls might hurt someone. Well he was right about that because right now if she had her gun she might hurt someone!

Silence emerged from all the street noise and she felt her neck tingle. Ranger had arrived!

Not wanting to talk yet, she stood up and headed away from him, across the park and away from where any vehicle could follow. She wanted to just get lost in the trees ahead and keep on walking. Be damned with lunch and a twigs and rootball sandwich. She never wanted to see anything healthy again.

Stephanie spied a street vendor and headed his way. Right now a greasy hot dog in a squishy white bun with everything would hit the spot and nobody, NOBODY, better say one damn thing!

She pulled some bills out of her pocket to give to the man but a mocha hand beat her to it and waved that he should keep the change. Stephanie didn't even look up, just walked away with her foil wrapped meal.

She walked down the trail eating the dog, feeling mustard dripping down the side of her mouth, but not caring how it or she looked. She finished the meal and angrily scrunched the paper into a tight ball and heaved it into a bin, snarling as it hit dead centre. Yeah, dead, dead, dead.

She continued to walk until her legs began to tire and her breathing changed. It was becoming a bit more raspy and she was having trouble maintaining her pace. Finding another bench, she sank down gratefully on it and sighed.

She could feel someone sit down and wait. Tears fell and she leaned over and put her head on a dark colored, strong and broad shoulder. An arm wrapped around her and pulled her closer. Her tears flowed and she sobbed. A hand pushed a handkerchief in her face and she grabbed it and blew her nose.

Stephanie woke up in bed back on seven. She had no idea how she got there and noticed that she was no longer dressed in her Rangeman uniform but a t-shirt of Rangers and her favorite thong.

She turned her back to the man laying in bed watching her. What was the use? She had hoped that there would be a wild celebration tonight. She had even bought a new lace bra and panty set to show off, planning that she would not be wearing it for long. She had asked Ella to set out a really nice supper, complete with candles and wine and a special dessert, flan. Ranger loved flan and it was practically the only dessert he would eat. Ella had already adjusted it for her diet and she had hardly noticed the difference. Ella needed a serious wage raise after this.

Stephanie drifted back asleep. It was almost felt like she had been drugged and she wondered if that too have been taken away from her. Freedom to sleep or not. Freedom to live her life like she wanted.

Morning came and her eyes opened to the soft sunlight coming the windows. There was a tray by her bed. A pretty flower graced the tray and she could see the yogurt and fruit and that damned toast again. She growled and her arm swung out and swept the tray onto the floor, spraying food and dishes in an arc.

She climbed out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. Slamming the door shut, she did her business and then turned on the shower. She quickly stripped off her night wear and climbed in, closing the door shut. She washed and scrubbed her skin until it felt raw, then poured the shampoo into her hair and rubbing it round and round, knowing that there would be hell to pay getting out the tangles. Who cared? She certainly didn't.

Finally with nothing else left to do, she turned off the water and stepped out, noticing that there were fluffy towels waiting for her. That too set her off. Someone was always near. She felt trapped by everything and everyone! She wanted to and needed to get out of there. Why, oh why had she given up her apartment. It was dank and dingy and needed work, but it had been home for so long.

Unfortunately the building was now designated for seniors only and she wouldn't have been allowed back, even if it had been available.

Stephanie walked out of the bathroom and sitting on the bed was a change of clothes waiting for her to put on. She marched over and picking them up, flung them back into the closet, and instead, came out with an old pair of jogging pants with a hole in the knee and a ratty old t-shirt that had certainly seen better days.

She shrugged into them and shuffled out to the living room.

Stephanie felt like crashing on the couch and watching tv with her legs drawn up to her chest, a very bad no-no according to Bobby and eating ice cream out of the container until she bloated.

Instead, Ranger and Bobby were sitting in the room and Bobby had his bag with him and a very serious expression on his face.

Ranger was sitting there with his blank face firmly in place.

Stephanie instead walked into the kitchen and opening up a cupboard, she took a big mug and poured herself a coffee, adding four heaping teaspoons of sugar and milk from the fridge. She stirred it with the spoon and tossed it into the sink, then walked back out and sat down, taking a sip and sighing.

She could feel their gaze on her as she drank the whole mug down. She had not had sugar for so long and could already feel the buzz as it hit her system. Unfortunately, it was hitting her system the wrong way and running from the room, she made it to the washroom just in time to have it all come back up.

A wet facecloth was being held for her and her hair had been pulled back. Shakily she stood up and taking the cloth, wiped her face with it then threw it into the sink. She walked back to the bed on less than sturdy legs and climbed back into bed, pulling the covers over her head.

The door closed with a soft click and there was silence. She fell asleep and dreamed of running and laughing and having fun until someone came up to her and shook his head at her and held out a blood pressure cuff.

She woke up.

Bobby was just taking the cuff off her arm and his face had that professional look that brooked no argument. He stepped back and gathered up his equipment, heading out the door.

Stephanie knew that Ranger was in the room but she totally ignored him, flipping the covers over her head again. She didn't want to talk to him or anyone.

She could hear a rustle and heard a tray being placed on the night stand once again.

She spoke.

"Take it away. I'm not hungry and I'm not going to eat it."

She fell asleep again and woke up to a mid afternoon darkness in the room.

Ranger was sitting on the bed with his back against the headboard and he was watching her as she got her bearings.

"Babe, it's only a small setback, but what you are doing to yourself will only hurt you in the long run. Bobby is threatening to insert an IV unless you eat the meal that has been left for you. Your blood pressure is up and your chest sounds a bit raspy. We don't want you to get pneumonia."

She looked at him.

"I did everything I was supposed to and maybe even more. I really tried to be good and look where it got me. No change. No hope for a full and complete recovery. No hope to going back to bounty hunting, or working full-time, or living, Ranger. No, no, no. What's the use?"

He pulled her to him and began to stroke her back all the while whispering soft Spanish sayings. She hiccuped a few times and squished her face into his chest.

"I tried so hard, Ranger, I really tried. I ate everything good and not one thing that was bad. I exercised and rested. And what did it get me? Same old, same old. He didn't even say that I was close. Just more of the same! I don't know how much more of this I can take. I wish I'd just died that day. It would have been easier."

Ranger reared back in panic. He had been in charge of men who had taken the same attitude and some had succeeded in ending their lives, either by their own means or deliberately stepping into danger. He never, never again wanted to have to explain to someones loved ones why he had been unable to return their son or husband or brother back alive."

He looked at Stephanie. She looked almost at peace with that statement and that too scared him. She had not said it with the idea of getting a rise out of him. She was deadly serious. He needed some help.

Stephanie had fallen asleep again and he gently shifted out from under her and headed for the door. The phone was in his hand and he pressed the number for Ella. He needed her to come immediately and literally stay in the room. He was afraid what she might do if she woke up alone in this frame of mind. She had taken off before and this time he firmly believed that she might take off to hide out.

Ella stepped into the apartment. He and Tank and Bobby were meeting down in Bobby's office. This might be over their head.

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie woke up from another nap. She could hear Ella on the phone saying that she would be down in just a few minutes but couldn't stay long.

Stephanie waited until she had left the apartment before she got out of bed and headed for the closet. She came out in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and her purse.

She phoned her Dad and requested a ride as soon as he could get to Rangeman but didn't elaborate other than to say that she had no ride and wanted to see them at their home for a change.

Quickly she penned a note and left it on the counter top before leaving all her trackers and key fob beside the note.

Looking back at the apartment as she prepared to close the door, she wondered if she would ever see it again.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Stephanie stepped outside into the fading afternoon sunlight. She'd managed to convince Zeke that since Ranger, Bobby and Tank were in a meeting that her father had agreed to pick her up for supper at home.

His face showed concern though as he watched her climb into the cab. Something was off, really off but she was a free woman and nobody had said anything about keeping her in the building. He shrugged as he watched the car pull away. His phone was ringing and he reached for it with his right hand.

"Rangeman, how can I help you?"

Stephanie sat in the cab as her dad drove. She had phoned and asked him for a ride saying that she wanted to have supper with the family at home tonight and could he drive her? There was a big meeting for a take-down and she wasn't allowed to drive yet with her meds.

He listened as she chattered away. It seemed forced like she was trying to keep him from asking questions.

Frank kept looking in his rear view mirror, almost expecting that at any moment a number of big, black SUV's would come racing up and surround them, dragging Stephanie out. He just had a feeling that there was more to her coming home for supper excuse.

He spoke softly to his daughter.

"So, how did the appointment go yesterday? I assumed that you and Ranger celebrated the results afterward."

He waited to see if she blushed. He may be old but he wasn't dead, yet. Lord knew, he didn't want details but if the news was good he was sure that there would be celebrating later with her man. He had hoped that they would finally see the love they had for each other and the fact that almost losing her life might kickstart them into wanting to make their relationship official.

He was trying to find out what the hell was going on. He knew that she had mentioned to Edna of her need to go shopping for some special items and only she could help and he had been forced to drive her as she picked up what Stephanie had ordered then deliver the tiny bag back to Rangeman.

He remembered watching as Edna had wobbled her way into the main entranceway and handed the bag to one of the big, scary men at the front desk. He could see how he had thanked Edna and accepted it with a thumb and finger only to put it on the desk, far away from his vision.

He had chuckled to himself at the time, wondering how the firestorm of his daughter invading this bastion of big, tough guys was continuing to go over. They carried guns and she carried mascara. They spoke sparingly and she talked enough for everyone in a room. They obviously loved the gym and she would travel blocks to avoid even going by one. Talk about ying and yang.

They pulled up at the house before she had answered and both Edna and Helen were there to greet her. She gave them both a hug and spoke.

"I've been wanting to come to supper for days! Ranger can't come due to a take-down tonight and they figured that it might be really late, so can I just stay and bunk down here for the night?"

Helen clapped her hands with excitement. It would be good to have her here for more than a few short hours. She was already planning a special breakfast. She raced in. The roast might over-cook. It was getting close and the table was already set.

Stephanie settled into the chair and proceeded to eat her meal, trying to keep up with all the gossip in the neighborhood. It had been so long since she had been home and when they had visited her, both in the hospital and at Rangeman, they had not spent time telling her who was doing what, or where.

Stephanie kept surrepticiously trying to not be obvious as she checked her watch. She excused herself after just the tiniest piece of chocolate cake, saying she was still tired at night and wanted to head to her room. Knowing what she had been through, Helen nodded her head. She and Edna would have the dishes cleaned up lickedy split.

Helen stopped Stephanie as she was heading out the door.

"Do you have to be anywhere early tomorrow? I can have breakfast for you before they pick you up."

Stephanie paused to consider the question.

"Naw Mom, I'll just call when I want to go back. They're busy and will pick me up when they have time."

She headed out the door and they could all hear her climbing the stairs. In all the years she had lived there she had always raced up the stairs the same way, but this time, she took her time, as if, well, as if she planned to stay."

Helen looked at Frank. He nodded and headed to the wall phone.

~~~o0o~~~

Ranger was in Bobby's office as his cell phone rang. He looked at the number and opened it up.

"Frank."

Frank was also a man of few words so he understood the idea of saying everything in as few words as possible. He was about to go on a fishing trip, for information.

"Hello Ranger. I just wanted to touch base with you when you'll pick up Stephanie tomorrow. She had supper here and has headed up to her room, saying that she still tires easily."

The line was silent and Frank began to have a really bad feeling.

Ranger spoke.

"I had no idea she was leaving the building and she didn't leave me a voicemail. You say she is staying the night too?"

There was a pregnant pause as both men gathered their thoughts.

Frank spoke, all the while watching the two women standing there with tea towels in their hands and a surprised expression on their faces.

"She said that you were on a huge take-down tonight and she would just stay here and get picked up tomorrow."

Ranger stood with the phone in one hand and waved at Tank with the other. He needed to call Ella and talk to her.

He tried to be calm as he spoke. This was obviously a worried parent who suspected something was wrong and was confirming in his own mind that he was right.

Tank was signalling to Bobby to come closer. He had heard only part of the conversation but he was catching on fast. Bobby held out his hand for the phone and Ranger spoke into the mouthpiece.

"I am getting another call so Bobby will talk for just a moment, but I will be back."

He handed the phone to Bobby and took the phone from Tank, motioning for him to follow him into another room.

He barked into the phone.

"Ella, what is Stephanie doing right now?"

He listened as she spoke, his face showing his anger.

"I told you not to lose sight of her, Ella. The floor could have flooded for all I care, you were to stay and watch her."

He was barely listening as Ella tried to apologize. She was in the elevator and now heading into the suite. She would check on her and phone him back.

He looked at Tank as he snapped the lid shut.

"Ella got a call from Luis. One of the washing machines broke down and started to leak water and he asked her to help him for a minute with the clothes. She took longer than she planned but when she left, Stephanie was sleeping and she thought she would be right back.

She'll give me a call when she gets back into the room."

They walked back into the room and could hear Bobby mention that it sounded really nice that Stephanie was taking the time to visit back at home, but for her morning breakfast she should probably stick to oatmeal or whole wheat toast if they had it and not to react if she wanted things like pancakes or bacon and eggs. If she wanted eggs, she could have a nice egg white omelet with fresh veggies in it.

Bobby was trying to give them parameters without telling them that their own diet was not just bad for them but a disaster in the making for Stephanie. Even one day falling off the wagon could set her back into unsafe eating habits.

Ranger motioned for the phone again and Bobby signed off.

Ranger took the phone and even he could see the tension as his hand gripped the plastic so hard his hand was white.

"Frank, if it's OK, I'll spin by and pick her up tomorrow. She needs to see her family and hasn't been there for awhile. I think being cooped up in the building made her long to get out and I'm glad that she headed for her safe place."

Frank nodded his head. Safe place. Cooped up. His daughter was running again and he wondered when she would tell them why. This time, she had headed home, so what was the deal? Rangeman had turned into her safe place years ago.

He shrugged. He would protect her until he found out what the hell was going on.

~~~o0o~~~

Ranger's phone rang. It was Ella.

"Ranger, I think you need to come up, now!

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie walked into her room and closed the door. Her mom had threatened that she was going to turn the room into a sewing room or a scrapbooking space. She had looked at her mom in horror and she had smiled. Her mother had always done her sewing in the kitchen where the light from the window made it easier to work. And scrapbooking? She had abhored the idea of someone taking pictures of her. She said she looked fat in photos and had always wanted to be the one taking the pictures. As for albums. She liked the idea of putting them in behind the plastic sleeves and leaving them. The albums were identified by a simple note of this holiday or that, or first day of school or Christmas. Film had been expensive and pictures were for special occasions only. Nobody in the family had ever expressed an interest in having a fancy book made for them of growing up pictures and cutsy remarks. She snorted to herself. Her mothers' idea of humor, she reasoned.

Stephanie rummaged around in her closet for something to wear to bed. Really, who would see her and who cared anyway? She found an old pair of jogging pants and a t-shirt with the NY Rangers logo on it. She dashed across to the bathroom before the evening rush and did her business. She grabbed a glass of water to put on the nightstand in case she got thirsty through the night. She grimaced. The water was really for the pills she needed to take but they were all at Rangeman anyway. She didn't need them since nothing had changed. Why continue? They weren't helping anyway.

She crawled into bed and hugged her pillow to her. It smelled of home but she wanted it to smell of Ranger. She missed him already.

~~~o0o~~~

Ella showed him the note. Ranger skimmed over it and then his fist met the sheetrock wall in the kitchen. He didn't even grimace as blood poured out from the knuckle area. She handed him a towel and pulled out the phone to phone Bobby for a med kit, but he waved her away. He read the note again.

_I refuse to live my life like this anymore, Ranger. You've always told me that it's not the length of life that's important, but how you live it. Well, I'm going to live it for as long as I can and nobody, NOBODY, is going to stop me. I love you, Ranger with all my heart, but you need to move on and find someone who can be a whole woman who can love you like you deserve._

_Stephanie_

_~~~o0o~~~_

Frank sat in his livingroom with a beer in his hand. The tv was off and the lights up and down the streets in the houses had been turned off hours ago. It was late, very late. He was sitting in the semi-darkness with only a small table lamp on. He spied a black SUV slowly drive by. Half an hour later he saw another. He looked at his watch and stood up. He pushed aside the sheers slightly and noticed a black Porsche sitting just down the street. The lights were off and he thought he could see the outline of a man inside.

Now he was really worried.

Frank put his now empty beer bottle in the recycling bin in the kitchen and headed upstairs. He wondered if he would sleep any better tonight than the man outside.

~~~o0o~~~

Lula sat waiting in the large room for Tank to arrive. God willing she was being released in 14 days and she was trying her level best not to screw it up.

She was receiving glowing reports on her work in the filing room. Her speed in finding files when requested along with her steller behavior was giving her a sense of accomplishment that she had not had most of her life.

She watched as the door opened and Tank walked in. He was dressed in his Rangeman black uniform and he made her heart dance everytime she saw him. A slow smile spread over his face as he took in her appearance. She had been allowed to have a hair appointment and her hair had been washed and curled and colored in a bright fire-engine red. It had taken a fair amount of her account, but the look on his face made it worth all the time and money.

He strode over to her and gave her a big hug and she melted in his embrace. Hopefully when she was released there would be a big party, but a party of two. She had plans for her man and they included her.

Taking her hand, Tank pulled her to a corner in the room and sat down with her on his lap. The guards in the room smiled. Now this was a couple in love! He was holding another envelope and after some serious lip-lock, they opened the envelope together. Inside were pictures of the two houses that they had short-listed.

Tank looked at her and his heart melted. She was trying her best to get out as soon as she could. She had dressed up for him. She was losing weight, the right kind now and he just knew in his heart that she had done something about her allergy to cats.

"Lula Belle, you are looking goood."

Lula purred in his ear and snuggled closer. The chair groaned at the combined weight but they took no notice of the danger and snuggled even closer.

Tank spoke up.

"I was late and had to come in my uniform from home. You're not sneezing, or scratching or anything. Is there something you want to tell me, Lula Belle?"

Lula kissed him on the mouth very softly and spoke.

"Tankie Bear, I managed to get them to start me on the allergy shots while I was here. A bunch of the guards have cats and I was sneezing and scratching anywhere near them. While I hate the needles, I noticed that I was not being affected as much each week. I didn't want to tell you until I was sure, but I think that when I get out, you can even let them run loose for awhile. The doctor said that my resistance is building up and if I keep it up, I shouldn't have any trouble, as long as they stay out of the bedroom."

Tank squeezed her to him and their lips found each other again.

Lula finally sat up. Unfortunately they only had an hour and there was lots to plan and things to say.

"Two more weeks and I'm outta here, baby. I can hardly wait. I am treading on egg shells here trying to stay out of trouble. I talked to the girls who were giving me trouble and while they are uber jealous that I got such a light sentence, they had no ill feelings to me. They thought I would go all crazy on them and start reporting stuff since they found out I was a bounty hunter in training."

Tank looked at her. He marveled at how she had taken a very bad situation and was turning it around. He had good news and bad news and wondered how to say it, or not. Usually it was best to lead with the bad news first.

Unfortunately Lula was getting more interested in what was happening and he tried to start out on a positive note.

"I have some news you might like, girl. Remember how I told you that Donny Anderson had hired a shark of a lawyer and he was out on bail?"

She nodded and before a string of curses about his upbringing and his relatives, who had probably co-habitated under rocks and sunned themselves during the day became even more verbal, Tank put his finger over her mouth.

"He was picked up a couple days ago. It seems that the IRS now wants to 'talk' to him and they declared him a possible flight risk. So now he's sitting back in jail and after they get through with him, he's probably going to lose everything he ever had, and a lot that he never had or ever will. They've got their sights on him and are going for the gonads."

Lula smiled and happily snuggled back into his embrace. She felt vindicated that she was almost done and would walk out a free woman soon.

Nestled in his chest, she asked almost in a sleepy voice.

"So, how's my girl?"

Tank mentally sighed. And this was the bad news.

"I know she was supposed to have her appointment and I assume that she and Batman are happy somewhere warm and getting to know each other again."

Lula had been hearing about the diet and the ups and downs of Stephanie's recovery. She was looking forward to seeing her.

Tanks unconsciously tensed up and Lula picked up the tension immediately.

"Tank, what happened?" and she too tensed up. Had she relapsed, fallen ill, or something else happen to her that only Stephanie could get into.

Tank rubbed her back with his hand in an almost hypnotic motion. He sighed and leaned his head against her forehead.

"Stephanie received some disappointing news and decided that she didn't want to burden us anymore with her recovery. She walked out on Ranger and moved home. She refuses to take any meds and her diet has most likely taken a turn with being back at home with her mother cooking probably all the wrong foods for her. She refuses to see anyone from Rangeman.

Ranger has been over but when she sees or hears his car she heads to her bedroom and won't allow him in her room. From all accounts, she just sits in the house and watches tv all day. Her family is seriously worried about her."

Lula started to sniffle. She needed to get out so that she could at least see her friend and try to knock some sense in her. She now had phoning privileges and was wondering why Stephanie had been blocking her calls. This was not good, not good at all.

The buzzer sounded and they slowly got to their feet. Visiting hour was over once again, and it was time for Tank to leave. He pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear.

"Stay safe, Lula Belle. I'm counting the days and I have already figured out what we can do the first night we're together. It involves you, and me, and..."

Lula wiggled at his words. He still loved her. He still wanted her.

She watched as he walked out the door. She looked at the envelope with the new pictures inside. She began to plan for the future, because she could see that she had a future.

~~~o0o~~~

Les received a call in the plantation office. There was room for another load of coffee beans at the delivery point but he had to hurry.

He buzzed the head supervisor and gave him the news and they both smiled. Their holding areas were full to bursting and while the crop was in very, very good shape it still needed to be sent onwards before the plantation was paid.

Les had been getting the odd message wondering about what the hold-up was and when the problem was about to be rectified and try as he could to explain that due to inclement weather the railroad companies were unable to or unwilling to deliver the crop in a timely manner, the excuse rang dully through. It was his job to get the crop off the field and into the hands of the shipper. Failure was not an option in his line of work. Everybody was replaceable.

He had read newspaper articles that the country's parliament had been keeping up to date on the problems and was trying to push the railroads but they were on their own schedule and didn't feel the need to change just for coffee and the world coffee market.

Right now they were concentrating on delivering biofuel ingredients to the refinery. Biofuel meant energy and fuel drove the country. Coffee was valuable but fuel was the new benchmark. Unfortunately, even an act of parliament was not enough of a threat to make them change their scheduling and nothing was moving until they deemed it so. The country was being held for ransom and the farmers and plantation owners were paying the price.

Les could hear the supervisors outside marshalling the trucks to be loaded and who was to take the load. He had arranged for the armed guards to escort the convoy and set about preparing to help with the delivery.

This time, in addition to the normal armament Les wore, he now added a long rifle and clipped a a pair of night goggles to the top of his hat. It would be a long day and they would be returning after dark.

He knew that the kitchen was rapidly preparing meals for all the men to eat and could see the baskets being brought out to the marshalling area.

Truck after truck was rapidly loaded by the conveyor belts that were steadily emptying one holding shed after another. Finally, seven trucks stood ready and the various jeeps stood ready to escort the convoy.

Swiftly the men jumped into the cabs and the convoy pulled out, making a dust storm that drifted over the home quarter of the plantation. All who looked up from their work in the fields could see the cloud of dust as they drove down the country road.

There would be a skeleton staff left to oversee the workers, but it was not to be helped. This was a very, very valuable delivery and it needed to be protected.

Les patted for his burn phone in his pocket. When he got a minute he would check in for any updates. It had been a week. He needed to check with his informants for any interesting chatter. He wondered if his request for a satellite fly-over had been approved up the line. He needed to give them an area soon.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you for your reviews. All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 9

Tank was waiting as Lula stepped through the door. She was free. Her clothes that had been stored for her hung on her now much smaller frame.

She walked to Tank and putting her arms around his neck, gave him a kiss that had even the prison staff whistling and chuckling.

He escorted her, waiting as she stopped at the door to freedom and looked up at the sky. It really did look different from this side.

Lula walked to the vehicle that Tank pointed out and waited for him to unlock the door. He opened it with a flourish and she slid onto the seat, marveling at how soft the leather felt after so long. She put on her seatbelt and shook herself with excitement. She was going home, home to Tank, and cats, and a life where she was not being ordered around to do everything. She could walk to a door and turn the handle and it would open, and close and open again. She could walk into a room and not be afraid that someone was lying in wait to attack her or degrade her.

Tank took the scenic road home and watched as her eyes lit up at things that he took for granted each day.

He chuckled and reminded himself that while he had tried to remain cool and aloof when he too had been released from juvie, he had done much the same thing. He had walked a mile in her shoes and knew what she was feeling.

Lula turned to Tank and she smiled that special smile that could only mean that it was going to be a great night.

"Are you off-line or just picking me up?"

She waited with baited breath for his answer. If he had to go back to work for a few hours she could cope, like taking a bath without prying eyes. In her bag was a special purchase she had ordered for tonight. Deep down, she hoped that she would not be wearing it for very long. Tank liked to hunt down his prey and while she was pretty fast for a big woman, she knew when she was ready to give up. It was the thrill of the hunt, but the activity later was the best.

Tank smiled.

"I'm off-line for three days, Lula Belle."

He looked at her and his eyes got a bit larger and hungrier.

"Got any special plans?"

She put her hand on his knee and smiled. Yes, that children's poem would be very, very appropriate here. although she had no idea what the meaning was and really didn't care at this moment. 'Tiger, tiger burning bright, in the forest, in the night.' And tomorrow, and tomorrow night. Oh boy, was she going to be sore, but in a very good way.

~~~o0o~~~

Bobby slammed the door shut on his infirmary. He was in no mood right now to look at anyone or anything.

He had seen men so depressed they had taken their own weapons and killed themselves out in the field. He had stopped other men just in time and watched as they were brought back from the bowels of despair to once again lead productive lives.

Hell, one of those soldiers had gone on to a steller career in the Army and then had come back home, found a wonderful girl to marry and began a great career in computers. They had just given birth to a son with a daughter who was now approaching two.

Bobby looked at the folder sitting on his desk with all the research on possibilities for Stephanie neatly documented. He picked up the file and flung it against the wall, watching as papers flew around and landed on the bed, the cabinet, between the glass jars and on the floor.

She had fooled him with her attitude while healing that she was back to normal. He just knew that the thing with the Slayers and June had brought out depressive tendencies and he had not acted on it. Now, here she was ready to take her own life by not looking after herself and accepting help.

Bobby had tears running down his own cheeks. He felt like he had failed her and he couldn't help her.

He knew that he'd put out his Do Not Disturb sign, and had locked the door, but the knob turned and the door opened to Ranger standing in the entranceway. Bobby laughed to himself and remembered that the Bomber had wondered why there were locks on the doors in Rangeman since everyone but her knew how to pick the locks anyway.

Ranger stepped in and closed the door behind him, locking it.

He looked around at the mess.

He sighed and walked over to the rolling stool and sank down putting his head down into his hands that were on his knees. Nothing needed to be said, absolutely nothing.

The knob turned and once again the door opened.

Tank stepped in and once again the door was closed and locked.

He walked over to the examining table and hopped up, sitting on the edge.

Nobody said a word. Really, what was there to say.

Bobby looked at Tank and he grimaced.

~~~o0o~~~

Joe stopped in at the Plum house. He had heard from a number of sources that Stephanie was now living at home. His heart sped up at the thought. Maybe she had come to her senses and was willing to let them be friends again. He could only hope.

Both Helen and Edna met him at the door and if he was surprised to see them, he hid it well. They stepped back and motioned for him to enter the house.

It smelled the same. Soup cooking on the back burner, simmering away. Freshly baked cookie smells hung in the air; chocolate chip today. He could smell the room freshener and the cleaning products from the area of the bathroom. What he did not smell was Stephanie's unique perfume. If she was living at home, the house should have given off a slight fragrance.

He followed the women into the kitchen and sat down at the kitchen table. A cup of coffee materialized in front of him and a plate of cookies soon followed.

He watched as both ladies settled in 'their' chairs. He could sense that there was something troubling them both and let them set themselves and divulge what was going on if they chose. That was one of his best strengths, when he wasn't upset. The ability to wait out a suspect or a victim until they wanted to talk had served him in good stead and he was now on the negotiating team for drawing out suspects.

Joe sipped his coffee and took a cookie, smiling at how soft and flavorful it was. He would never, never, ever admit to his mother that Mrs. Plum was a better cook in some aspects. He knew where she still kept the wooden spoon!

Edna looked at Helen and spoke.

"Someone needs to know, Helen. It can't go on too much longer or we're going to lose her, literally and figuratively."

Helen grudgingly nodded her head and looked at Joe.

"Stephanie found out at her six week specialist appointment that her condition was still quite precarious and her life would need to change radically for the rest of her life. Consequently, she broke up with that Ranger man who has been so good to her, walked out of Rangeman and moved home. She has refused to leave the house and now refuses to come out of her room except to use the bathroom. She hardly eats anything and will not allow anyone to visit.

We take her a tray three times a day and I don't think she's eating enough to feed a bird. That nice medic man, Bobby, came over with a choice of things that are good for her but she balked at that and rather than let her starve we make her her favorite things. The little we see of her is certainly concerning. Her color is bad and she has started to cough. I phoned that Bobby person again and he said that if she is not moving around she might be catching pneumonia, which is not good at all. Her heart can't handle a lung infection and without eating and moving, everything is just building up in there."

She stood up suddenly from the table and headed to the stove, turning her back on Joe and Edna with the purpose of stirring the soup.

They both could see her take the corner of her apron and gently wipe one eye then another.

Silence fell in the room.

Edna spoke.

"She's given up hope and is literally laying there waiting to die. I've seen it too much in the care facilities. She's too young to do this, but if we can't stop her..., " and she fell silent.

It was so quiet in the kitchen except for the monotonous stirring of the soup pot. They all were thinking their own thoughts and none of it was positive.

Joe spoke.

"Do you think she would see me if I went up there?"

Helen turned around and there was a very slight glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"If you would, I would be very grateful, Joe. She counts you as one of her best friends and maybe you can at least get in the room and see for yourself."

Joe put down his cup in the saucer and stood up. He picked up a couple of cookies and looking at the two forlorn ladies, turned and headed out the door.

They could hear him climbing the stairs and heard as he softly knocked on the door.

"Cupcake, it's Joe. Can I come in?"

~~~o0o~~~

Les returned to the plantation with the empty trucks. He was tired, dirty and hungry. Unfortunately leaving so fast the women hadn't sent enough food for them all and he had chosen to let the workers have his portion. They worked so very hard and he had survived for periods of time without food before and could do it again, if need be.

The convoy drove into the yard and waiting for them were the supervisors left behind. One was sporting a bandage wrapped around his head and covering one eye and the other had a sling supporting his right arm.

Les could feel his heart clench. What had happened while they were away?

The workers shuffled off to their sleeping pallets and Les nodded his head toward his office. He watched as the two men limped or made their way gingerly into the office and sat in the offered seats.

Les spoke more forcefully than what was probably necessary but he needed answers.

"What happened?"

Jim spoke up.

"Boss, it's almost as if they were watching you drive away. All of a sudden a bunch of trucks raced into the fields and at least ten men jumped out with rifles. We tried to defend ourselves but they took all the strongest men working in field E and loaded them in the trucks and sped off. By my count, and I need to confirm now that you're back with the others, but it looks like they took fifteen men."

He looked at Les with concerned eyes.

"They shot Raoul when he tried to protect his men. He's in the infirmary right now but I don't know if he'll make it."

The other supervisor spoke.

"I recognized a couple of them, Boss. I was only eight or so when they came the last time but instead of taking fifty, they took only the really strong ones."

He leaned back into the chair even though he was in the presence of authority. Les saw that there was a red stain now beginning to seep through his shirt and drip onto his pants.

"Johnny, were you shot?"

He nodded and slumped over, almost sliding out of the chair.

Les leaped to his feet and raced around his desk to grab him before he slid toward the floor. He pushed him back into the chair and reaching over, he ripped the shirt open. Les could quite plainly see a bullet hole.

He looked at Jim who was almost unconscious himself and took it upon himself to get Johnny to the infirmary.

Les carefully lifted him out of the chair and putting his arm around his own shoulder he slowly walked the man out the door. Jim followed behind him like an obedient puppy as they headed for the small building.

At the door, one of the orderlies took over and assisted the wounded man to a table where he helped him to lay down. There was a table with a number of medical instruments sitting out in the open.

Les looked at the tools sitting on the small table. Flies were buzzing around and some had landed.

Les put his hand over the man's hand and stopped him from picking up a pair of scissors.

"These are not sterilized. Did you use these on the other men?"

The man nodded his head and shrank back at the growl that came from Les's throat.

"Boil these and any other medical instruments for ten minutes in water. Do not even think of touching these men until you glove up too. Do I make myself clear?"

There was a quick bobbing of heads and a chorus of 'Yes, Boss'.

Les stepped into another room. He saw a man laying in a bed and an attendant standing by. Les walked toward the bed and looked at Raoul laying in the bed, then he glanced at the man standing by. His eyebrow raised and the man in scrubs shook his head sadly.

He walked back out after confirming that the instruments were now sitting in a big pot of boiling water. He had been aware that before arriving that there had been a young doctor who had spent a year on the plantation. He had asked and received permission to fulfill his missionary requirement to work on the plantation and be there for the neighbouring farms as well.

He had since returned to his home country leaving no trained medical personnel in case of injury or medical needs. There had been a concerted effort to obtain a retired trained medic, but so far trying to entice someone with at least rudimentary skills was proving difficult. Les was missing Bobby's skills right about now and he wondered how he was doing.

Les stepped outside the infirmary. He had more to do before he could head to his own quarters and rest. That is, if he even had the time to go back and rest. He figured that it would be a long night trying to take roll call and getting someone from the local police force out to take down the information on the missing men. Well, he could phone all he wanted but that didn't mean that they would put it as any kind of a priority. They were only slaves in the eyes of the police; free workers at best. Regardless, human life and especially black human life was pretty cheap in this part of the world. It was not like they were really worth anything, right?

Les fell into bed. After a head count he made a note that there were instead 18 men missing. Three had been snatched from an unsupervised field. This would make completing harvest very, very difficult and with a number of his supervisors down, it was looking pretty grim.

He lay in bed with his hands clasped behind his head. The intel he had been receiving had mentioned that they were continuing to grab men and he now had documented proof that was so. His own place had been targeted and Les was wondering if someone was feeding inside information to someone when a plantation was being left unprotected. It might be a lead and worth checking out.

He wondered if this was one of Stephanie's needle in a haystack moments.

~~~o0o~~~

Joe was at Pino's with Sophia and they were in a booth at the very back, sitting very, very close to each other. They had grown closer and closer as the weeks had drifted by and Joe was almost ready to ask a very important question. He took her hand in his and squeezed it.

Sophia was from a very strict Italian family and her father was rather old-fashioned. He had pulled Joe aside one evening after supper and invited him into his study. Sophia had shrugged her shoulders as Joe looked back. She knew that there would be serious questions being asked by her father and she hoped that Joe would stand up to the scrutiny. Unfortunately she was not attached or married for a very good reason and Joe was about to find out why.

Her father had pointed to a club chair by the fireplace and he strode over with a box of cigars in one hand and a cutter in the other. Joe selected one and waited while the end was cut and then a light was flicked allowing him to begin the process of getting the cigar to light.

It was a very good quality cigar and Joe began to relax in the chair. He was well versed in a fatherly talk and was prepared to be questioned. As a police officer he recognized the signs. Make them comfortable then hit them with something unexpected.

Her father shot straight from the hip.

"What are your intentions with my daughter, Mr. Morelli?" Uh oh, proper name here.

Joe sat up and took the cigar out of his mouth, thinking of his answer before speaking.

"Sir, my intentions are honorable. I like your daughter and I think she likes me. I would like to pursue a relationship with her if that's OK. I have my own house with a dog and she has her own house. We are both very busy people with our careers and our schedules do not always allow us to see each other as much as we would like to."

He tried to relax. That little speech had been practiced more times than he cared to imagine and he firmly believed that it spoke well of him. He couldn't be more wrong.

Her father spoke.

"I ask around town and you have quite the reputation among young ladies as," and he put two fingers in each hand in the air for quotes, 'the Italian Stallion."

Joe gulped and slid a but further down the seat. His cigar hung from his mouth at a droopy angle, not the jaunty look he was going for.

He looked at the man sitting across from him. This was a father who loved his daughter and had enquired about him through the Family. He had forgotten to check with Connie, his knowledgeable Family information guide. He had made the mistake of thinking of Mr. Antonio as a retired family lawyer who had recently retired to their country estate. Sophia's mother had always been a stay-at-home mom who had raised her daughter while participating in all the usual PTA, fund-raising activities and family travel. He was beginning to believe that he had walked into a trap and he was unsure how to extricate himself right now.

He stammered.

"Mr Antonio, that nickname was from a long time ago, when I was still a very young and foolish man. I am now a police officer and I can assure you that I am not going around finding any young women and having my way with her."

He gulped as Mr. Antonio stood up and strode to a desk and pulled a piece of paper out from a pile. Glancing at it quickly he spoke.

"And who is a Stephanie Plum, or Joyce Barnhardt? I recognize the next name and I believe that if her father ever found out about you sneaking into her pants he might have something to say to you."

Joe's tie became a little tighter around his neck as he gulped. What else did this man know about him and would he make it out of the house alive tonight?

Had he told his mother lately that he loved her?

~~~o0o~~~

Lula felt gulty about feeling happy. She and Tank had moved into their new place. She had tried a quick test to see if she could indeed live with cats in the house and in her space, and so far, short periods were not giving her grief. She stoically endured the shots each week and Bobby was now giving them to her. He was so careful and good at his job that she hardly felt the needle as he gave her the injection. He would talk to her and ask her questions and once or twice she had not even noticed what he had done. He smiled and backed away. That meant that he was doing his job.

They had done some more furniture shopping and it would be delivered right to the house. Room by room it was taking shape. They both discovered that their interests in furniture were similar. Furniture that properly fit big and beautiful people. Functional yet pleasing. Definitely nothing that looked like any of the plastic pastel colored furniture popular now. They wanted bold colors to suit their bold attitudes.

She was working back with Vinnie and Connie and was merrily filing away all the accumulated material. Connie had mentoned that she had threatened Lucille come in and help and Vinnie had blanched. He had upped her wage to keep her there and had even given her some concessions, like paid holiday time.

Lula was filing away in the back room when the phone rang. She could hear Connie answer then there was a pause.

"Lula, the phone's for you. It's the main office in Clinton."

Lula heaved herself to her feet and headed to Connie's desk muttering that they needed an extension in the back room so that big and beautiful women such as she didn't have to walk so far to take a call.

She picked up the phone.

"Lula speaking."

She listened and responded.

"That file is on the second shelf third box in, under K."

She listened again and then barked.

"Well, I filed it so I should know where it should be. If you can't figure it out, it's not my fault!"

She slammed the receiver back into the cradle and stomped back into the room muttering away.

"Well, of course it's there. Anybody would have filed it that way. How was I to know that they wanted it filed it under the first initial of the last name."

Three more times during the next week, Connie received calls and three times Lula told them where she had put a file. She was becoming more and more belligerent as the days went on.

As they sat down with a coffee and a Danish, she grumbled.

"Those people have no idea how filing works. Of course you put it under the first initial."

Connie tried to keep a straight face. While Lula had been behind bars she had gone through their entire filing system looking for files that were missing. She now had a pretty good handle on Lula's thinking pattern but suspected that the prison files would be pretty messed up until someone went through them all and filed them correctly.

She looked at Lula and spoke.

"So, what's the problem out there?"

Lula harrumphed again.

"They wanted the file on Willimena Thompson. I looked at the files and found thirteen Thompsons there so I filed it under Kliptomaniacs. If they had asked me for it, I would have headed right to it. I mean really, it's not that hard to figure out, is it?"

Connie chuckled to herself. She remembered when she and Stephanie had found all the files misplaced when they were dealing with the Slayers and found Derek Ciseski's file under Slayers instead of Ciseski.

She was expecting a few more calls in the near future.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for reading and reviewing. This is a short chapter on purpose. All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 10

Tank and Lula drove toward the Plum house. Lula wanted to see for herself what was happening and Tank was shaking his head and trying to prepare her.

"Lula, she won't see anyone. She'll use the bathroom and then slides back into the room. She takes a tray if it's left at the door, but it usually comes back out either not eaten or very little. She is a grown woman and we can't force her to let us in. Unless she's deemed unconscious, we cannot by law invade her privacy."

Lula pursed her lips. Nothing frightened Lula, much, but hearing about her best friend felt like someone was stabbing her in her heart and twisting. As they pulled up to the house, she could see Edna waiting outside on the porch. Stephanie had always wondered what sixth sense her mother and grandmother had that they knew she was coming over. Well, unless there was a camera, it appeared that that radar was now encompassing them all.

She clamored out of the car and walking to Edna, enveloped her in a big hug. Edna, who cared not for what the neighbors thought, gave her a big hug in return and a kiss on both cheeks. She looked horrible herself and her eyes were clouded in worry.

They entered the house and Lula looked back at Tank still standing at the curb. He shook his head at her and climbed back into the Hummer. He knew that if Stephanie knew he was in the house, she would not accept anybody. Maybe Lula could knock some sense into her.

Edna dragged Lula to the kitchen and sat her down, placing a piece of coffee cake in front of her. Lula smiled and picked up a fork. She was pretty much off sweets, but one of Entenmann's coffee cakes, well she would make an exception.

When there were only crumbs left on the plate, she stood up. Edna stayed in her chair.

Lula walked out of the kitchen and climbed the stairs. She was unsure how this was going to go, but she had to try.

Lula stood at the closed door. The tray from morning breakfast was still laying by the door, untouched and cold. She noticed that there were pancakes and strawberries, and coffee already mixed. This was probably Stephanie's favorite meal.

Lula raised her fist and pounded on the door, almost scaring herself.

"Skinny White Girl. Open this door right now! I waited three very long months to see you and I'm not leaving until you open this damn door. If you don't, I'm a gettin' my gun and blasting a hole. I'll pay Frank back when I get the money, but I swear I will."

She waited and finally heard a shuffle and then what sounded like a chair being dislodged. The handle turned and the door opened. It was very dark in the room and Lula cleared her throat before entering.

The room smelled. Cooped up smell, unhealthy smell, all those smells that don't belong in a bedroom.

Lula walked in and closed the door. She felt around for the light switch and turned it on. Stephanie was once again laying in bed and Lula could only gasp in horror.

She looked bad, not just bad from unkept hair and dirty clothes, but her color was way off. She had a very unhealthy pallor and her lips were blue. She was laying in bed under a number of covers and she appeared to be cold as she was shivering slightly. Her face had a sheen to it that might point to a fever.

Lula walked to the bed and sat down on the edge, taking care not to sit on her. She couldn't help it and put her hand up to Stephanie's face and felt moisture. Was it tears or was it fever?

She didn't speak for a moment, trying to control what she said next.

"Girl, you're not looking so good. How 'bout I call someone and we can get you back on the road to health here?"

Stephanie shook her head. Her voice appeared to want to betray her so she waited, almost to gain strength before she talked.

"No. I'm where I want to be. Now that you've seen me, you can leave. I'm happy you're out now Lula. You deserve a good life and I'm happy for you."

Lula reared back like she had been shot and her mouth took over.

"Oh no, you're not going to get away this easy. There are a whole lot of people who are worried about you and care about you very much. You think you're doing this only to yourself, well let me tell you lady, everyone is wandering around with hang-dog expressions and worried about you. Looking at you, I can see that their worries are justified. You are skin and bones, your lips are blue and you're coughing. That means pneumonia or very close to it."

Lula spoke again.

"I talked to Bobby. It was only a minor set-back and yet you took it for a life-changing diagnosis. He figured that you would have passed all the doctor's checks with two more weeks of care. He thinks he failed you and Stephanie, he worked so very hard to get you where you were. And now you do this to everyone who loves you and wants you to live?"

She harrumphed as only Lula could.

"Girl, I'd shake you but I'mma afraid to break something. I'm seeing someone who's decided to check out, who's letting the bad guys win. I never, NEVER thought I would see you bow to that. Before you used to have that 'never say die' attitude and now all I see is someone who just wants to die."

She spied envelopes on the night table and picking them up, she flipped through them, finding her name on one.

She looked at Stephanie still laying there in the bed.

"If this is what I think it is, after seeing you in this state, I would burn it and never read it Stephanie. I don't want to know what you wrote to me. I can only guess you would have in it that 'it's not my fault', or 'I didn't want to hurt you' or words to that effect. Well, lady, I'm not buying it."

She took the envelope and flung it back at Stephanie, hitting her on the back as she stomped out, slamming the door behind her.

She marched down the stairs and out the front door, not looking to the right or the left and walked to the truck. Wrenching open the door, she climbed in, slamming the door closed. Tank was looking at her as tears were falling down her cheeks.

She waved her hand and said, "Drive, just drive."

Lula sat on the park bench and looked out at the pond. Tank had driven around passing her facial tissues as each one before was discarded in the vehicle waste container.

He waited for her to speak. Her face had been angry and scared, sad and concerned all at once. He had done as she asked and having turned off both the radio and the tracker inside the vehicle he let her begin to compose herself as he drove along.

Tank knew that when she was ready she would tell him what had happened. Had she seen Stephanie and if so, how did she look?

Bobby had implored him to let him know if Lula was able to see her. From all accounts that he had gleaned from Helen, Edna and also Frank, she was coughing and it sounded like it was a wet cough, a sure sign of congestion in the lungs. Her heart was not capable of pumping properly with that condition and at best her heart was not capable of much as it was. Having stopped with any exercise or a proper diet, or even the meds she was on was a sure path to increased problems.

Tank wondered if all the research Bobby had looked at would be useless now. Would she even be strong enough for a Mitra Clip, was she looking at a heart transplant, or were they too late for any of it? His own heart clenched in fear.

He watched Lula as back at Rangeman Ranger looked at his own computer screen in his office. Ranger knew that Tank and Lula had been at the Plum house from the tracker in Tank's vehicle. Ranger sighed as he flipped off his screen and stood up. He was heading for the gym, again. His hands were still bruised and red from the last bout with the heavy bag and Bobby silently handed him gloves as Ranger passed him. Ranger looked at them and shook his head. He needed the pain right now to keep him on track because that was about all he was hanging on to.

Notwithstanding that she had dumped him with the thought of saving him the pain of watching over her, she had also dumped all of the men of Rangeman. Some had muttered that if that was how she felt they were done worrying about her while others knew deep in their hearts that she felt that by distancing herself from them this was was her way of trying to get them to move forward and to forget her. She had never wanted to rock the boat or want special attention and had always felt embarrassed as they had alternately come riding in to save her or assist her being bigger and stronger and scarier.

She was such a difficult person to really get to know. She loved everyone for who they were and yet, as she tried to maintain a good working relationship with them based on ability and desire, she refused to really open up to them about her own personal wants and desires. Her emotions were open book as far as they were allowed but there was that certain reserve that popped up now and then to make the men wonder if who they were seeing was the real Stephanie Plum. She tried not to overstep her bounds on their personal and professional lives and not once had she ever pried into their personal business, instead waiting and excited if they opened up to her.

No access to her, no news about her condition and certainly no idea of her continuing battles with enemies had made them jumpy. Now would be an excellent time to catch her when she was down. While the streets still called her 'Manoso's Woman', there had been a few niggling rumors that she was now free from under his protection and it wouldn't take much to target the house, or her family, or her.

Tank was in charge of scheduling but he could tell by the GPS trackers that there were enough drive-bys by Rangeman vehicles on each shift that the men were still watching and observing the Plum residence. Nothing had been said or needed to be, but it appeared that there was always a Rangeman vehicle close by, just in case.

Tank drove into the garage and Lula was sitting beside him in the passenger seat. They parked far enough down the line that it was too dark to see Lula's complexion.

Both Ranger's and Bobby's phone rang with a text. Lula had some news and wanted to share her information with the three of them. She didn't want anyone to know she was there and didn't want to stay long.

Both Ranger and Bobby responded immediately that wherever she wanted to meet they would be there. They headed down to the garage and climbed into the Hummer and it sped back out of the garage. The tracker was still turned off and the automatic recording device was manually disconnected.

Tank pulled onto a side road just outside of the edge of Trenton and turned off the motor. They all had a clear view of the surrounding landscape and would be able to see if someone was approaching.

Lula tried to compose herself. She had another tissue in her hand but hoped that she was all cried out, at least for a few minutes.

She turned around in her seat and with her back to the side window she began to speak.

"I threatened to get a gun and shoot my way in, and she finally took the chair from under the handle and let me in. As you suspected, she has not been eating and you can tell by the hollowed cheeks. What concerned me even more than the cough, which is wet by the way, is her eyes. They are literally dead looking. She has lost her spark of life, her will to survive and whatever makes Stephanie cope when all else fails."

She touched the edges of both eyes again with the tissue before once again speaking.

"She's got a fever and by the amount of the blankets in there, she's probably on the verge of something serious. She doesn't go to the bathroom much according to Edna so that probably means that she's not drinking enough so she doesn't have to leave the room."

Lula took a deep breath. This next part was the hardest to say.

"I saw a pile of letters in envelopes on her night table. I saw one for me and called her on it saying that if she died I was going to burn it without reading it. I'm sorry but I got mad and told her that it probably had something stupid in it like 'it's not my fault' and some of her other favorite excuses. I got so mad then that I stomped out of the room and out the house and told Tank to drive away."

She burst into tears again and sobbed onto Tanks' shoulder as he held her.

He looked up at the rear-view mirror at his friends and shook his head. It appeared that Stephanie had made her decision and while that was her decision, it would impact them all.

Ranger looked completely stricken and Bobby could only mutter and shut his eyes. She wanted to die and there was nothing they could say or do to change her mind.

Bobby nodded in resignation. He wanted to find Jessie to hold her and never let her go. He looked at Ranger. The person he wanted to hold had cut him off and wanted to die.

**A/N - a hard chapter to write.**

**Myrna**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks for hanging in. All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 11

Stephanie fell asleep and woke up feeling even worse than before.

She snuggled down into the blankets. She was soooo cold and her cough was getting worse. She felt a bit light-headed, her tongue felt funny and she really needed a drink.

She reached out to take a sip from the bottle of water on the nightstand but her hand knocked it off the small table and fell on the floor.

Stephanie really wanted a drink and contemplated her options. She could get up and walk to the bathroom for a glass of water but it seemed so far.

Her mouth felt parched even more and she dragged herself out of bed. The door was just over there. She willed her legs to move and her hand reached out to turn the knob on the door to open it.

She managed to pull open the door. The bathroom was right there and she took a step, then another. She felt herself fall but didn't feel anything as her body hit the floor.

She never heard Helen race up the stairs.

Stephanie did not hear her mother scream to Edna to call an ambulance as she lay on the floor in the hallway, nor the rush of attendants and the ride to the hospital with lights and siren blaring. She had no idea how many neighbors stood outside their doors and watched the drama or the black vehicles that followed the ambulance.

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie felt like she was dreaming. Her body felt light and wanting to fly but she couldn't get off the ground. She tried to flap her arms and make her cape spread out but her arms refused to lift.

She slept some more and had more weird dreams. People were talking about her in whispers and try as she could she was unable to hear what they said.

She felt thirsty and tried to lick her lips but her tongue was dry in her mouth. She really wanted that drink and her face scrunched up thinking how she was going to get to that drink. She felt something touch her lips and she thought about smiling as a trickle of water made its way down her throat. She tried to smile and slept again.

~~~o0o~~~

Ranger looked up as a bevy of doctors entered the room. He had been keeping a vigil since the ambulance had raced her in.

The doctors nodded for him to move with them to the corner of the room and they all had some papers in their hands. The preliminary results were back now and it was time to get everyone on the same page.

One spoke up.

"She has an upper respiratory infection and we are actively treating that. I suspect that her body wants to fight even more than her will wants to."

Another spoke up.

"After consultation, we have placed her in the wrist restraints. Considering her state of mind, we deemed it necessary since she has been admitted here not of her own free will. She will be assessed for further treatment as her condition stabilizes."

The third doctor spoke up.

"I compared the results from when I last saw her to now. Unfortunately there has been a set-back and while her condition has certainly deterioated, I do feel confident that no further permanent damage has been sustained at this time."

Ranger looked at them as they gave their reports. He looked back at her laying in the bed hooked up to various machines and monitors. As he had her medical proxy under his name he had taken the responsibility to sign for all the services needed. The medical community would do their best to bring her back, but did she really want them to?

Would his Babe appreciate what they were doing or would she just find a way later?

He nodded his head at the three doctors as they prepared to leave.

"Thank you for what you are doing. I appreciate it and I hope that in time she will too."

They nodded in agreement and walked out of the room.

Ranger walked back to the chair and sat down. Until she told him that she didn't want to live, he was going to give her every chance to live.

~~~o0o~~~

Les walked tiredly to his room. It had been another long and tiring day. Everyone who could work in the fields was. He had pulled staff from the house, from the prep sheds and had borrowed some from the neighbors next door. Men and women worked side by side helping. He had increased the bonuses to be paid for a successful crop and he could feel the motivation to get the job done.

He had purposefully put Ralph and Sara together in the fields and could see that there was some kind of a spark between them. He was confident that he now had the reason that Ralph had attacked the supervisor.

Nothing had been said, but Eddie was no longer at this plantation. He had been moved quietly to another, less agreeable place and he had been warned that his life was in danger if he ever, ever, raped a young girl again. Slave or not, there needed to be mutual consent.

His counterpart was very cognizant of the reason for the move and he brooked even less of a reason to have him disappear forever. He had been dropped back down the ladder of responsibility and was once again working in the fields now that his shoulder was healed, mostly. Nothing like a little pain to remind oneself of what not to do.

Les had contacted his handler and the information should be arriving soon. He had found the needle in the haystack and he had eyes on the dispatcher for the processing plant. Once the pieces had been put together, a pattern had quickly become apparent.

Knowing when some of the protective staff or the supervisors were absent allowed a team to race in and make off with the biggest and strongest in a field. Sometimes it was only a couple who were taken, sometimes more.

Now that they knew where to look and what to look for, it became a cat and mouse game waiting for more of the involved to contact each other or to signal their next action.

Les thought about Beautiful. He smiled as he thought that she would be proud of the fact that he had thought outside of the box looking for that one little piece to start tying it all together. He wondered how she was doing. By now, she should be much stronger and hopefully by the time he returned she would be as back to normal as she would be able to be. He fingered the little keychain in his pocket and sent good thoughts her way.

~~~o0o~~~

Bobby stepped into the room. He was coming to relieve Ranger while he took a break. Tank had also done the same thing a number of hours ago. They were the only members of Rangeman who went into the room, but there were people outside who were guarding the room. It had been on a volunteer only basis and while a number had chosen not to participate at this time, the list of those wanting to help had been long and concerned.

Some had chatted quietly among themselves the reasons for the action on Stephanie's part, and some had just shrugged their shoulders. Their girl had never done things the easy way at pretty much any time in her life and if this was a call for help, well, they were answering it the best way they could.

Ranger stepped back into the room after a short break. He and Bobby were watching her laying in the big bed, dwarfed by the size. She had certainly lost weight and her skin was a very unhealthy pallor. Her chest rose and sank but anybody could see that the lung infection and heart condition made her work harder to breathe.

She lay there with the wrist restraints holding her arms stationary. Until she woke up, they would not be a problem but it was debatable how she would look upon the situation when she woke up, or if.

Her family had made a number of quick trips to her bedside but it was only her father and her grandmother who could stay for even more than a quick glance. Edna had been the most supportive and had visited at least once a day. She had badgered Frank enough to drive her that Ranger had finally given her a phone number that she was to call and someone would pick her up when she wanted to come.

She sat quietly watching her baby granddaughter as she struggled to breathe. She had said her piece to her god and if one needed to go onward, let it be her. Stephanie had so much to live for, even if she didn't want to acknowledge it and Edna had offered to take her place in heaven.

More results came back and the doctors once again met Ranger in the room. They were cautiously optimistic that she would recover physically and when she finally came out of it, they would start to deal with the emotional damage.

Ranger nodded and a sigh of relief showed on his face. He had thought that she was starting to tune into noise in the room and to voices and to touch. He had been reluctant to tell anyone just in case it was a desire to see it happen in his eyes only.

The doctors left again and he once again moved to the bedside. He gave her a kiss on her lips not moving the breathing tube. He took the cotton swab and wiped her lips as they felt a bit dry. He sat down in the chair again and slipped his hand under hers that was laying on the bed restrained in the large, brown strap.

~~~o0o~~~

Joe was holding Sophia in his arms. She had come home from the hospital and had hidden in her bedroom to compose herself. It was hard to leave ones work at work and go about your day wondering when you came back on shift if they would be there.

He had knocked on her bedroom door softly. He had brought supper knowing that she was working right up to meal time. It was sitting on the kitchen counter waiting. The door to her bedroom was closed and Joe had smiled thinking that she might be in there waiting for him with a surprise. He loved surprises, especially if it meant that he could tear it off with his teeth.

He adjusted himself and tiptoed in. Sophia was laying on the bed, still dressed in her uniform but she was sobbing quietly into a pillow, trying to muffle her grief.

Joe had raced to the bed and picked her up and cradled her into his chest. She had put her arms around his neck and continued to cry. Not knowing what had happened he was prepared for anything. A car accident of a family member, a sudden death, an injury of some kind that he was ready and willing to help repair, he didn't know.

He lifted her chin high enough so that he could see her face and softly asked.

"What's wrong and can I help?"

More tears erupted and he just sat and rocked her to him, crooning little Italian sayings that his grandmother Bella had told him so many, many years ago when he came home hurt.

Finally her sobs began to subside and she began to pull herself together. Patients were to be kept confidential along with their conditions but this was Stephanie after all. The Stephanie who had introduced her to Joe, a life-long friend who she loved, but now as a friend only.

Sophia spoke.

"I was booked to look after a patient today, one I had not seen before since I just came off days-off, as you know."

Joe smiled. He knew all about her days off. She had spent most of them at his house and a fair amount of the time they had spent without too many clothes, he remembered fondly.

She continued.

"I walked down the hall to her room and noticed a couple of big, black dressed men guarding a door and I had a bad feeling I knew who was in there."

She stopped and Joe leaned back to look at her. She continued.

"I walked into the room and Ranger was there sitting in a chair watching Stephanie as she slept. I was there to do my checks and I did them noting that she was not in the best shape medically. That's when I noticed that she was under restraints, Joe. I looked at her file after I left and it clearly stated that she had gone off her meds and her diet and had basically shut herself off from everyone. Joe, the notes clearly state that she was obviously trying to end her life."

Joe fell back as if he had been hit. He remembered that he had tried to get in to see her and she had refused, but he had been so busy with work and with Sophia that he had forgotten. He had forgotten to check up on someone whom he loved dearly and although they had both realized that there was no someday for them, they wanted to remain friends. The girl lying in a hospital bed who used to drive him to drink Maalox by the case had always had such a sunny and expressive view of her world and it just didn't seem the thing she would attempt to do. There had to be a mistake!

She shook her head at him.

"Medically she looks to be rallying now but they're worrying about her mental state and are just about ready to move her upstairs. The prevailing opinion is that she will be there for some time.

Joe, Ranger looks almost lost sitting there watching Stephanie. You can tell he loves her very much."

She looked at Joe.

"I didn't tell you this and it absolutely must not, and I repeat, must not get repeated."

Joe nodded. He could keep a secret as well as anyone and having this broadcast over the Burg would probably finish her, in more ways than one. He could only hope that the usual rumor mill of the Burg would also respect her privacy on this one.

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie began to stir. She was laying on her back which she hated to do for long. She wanted to turn over and sleep on her side, or her stomach but she couldn't move.

She heard a soft beeping noise and internally groaned. She was in a hospital and they probably had a bunch of things sticking out of and to her. She tried to lift her arm to brush away what felt like a fly on her face but neither of her arms moved.

Her eyes opened and she saw Ranger standing by the bed watching her. She closed her eyes and mentally grimaced. His face was completely without any emotion on it as he stood there, just stood there watching her.

She couldn't keep her eyes closed forever and opened them slowly, hoping that it had been a dream but he was still there. She could tell that he wanted to stand with his arms crossed over his chest but that would have made him appear like he cared.

Stephanie tried to raise her hand but it wouldn't move.

Ranger spoke.

"Until we get a handle on both your medical and emotional condition, you're being restrained from moving your hands, just in case you get the idea of ripping something out."

He watched as she processed the information he had given her. Once again she tried to lift one arm then another and the straps cut into her wrists as she tried to move.

She looked at him and her eyes were cold.

"I didn't give anybody permission to drag me to the hospital. I want to go home so that nobody needs to worry about looking after me."

Ranger shook his head at her.

"Nobody could do anything to stop you from endangering your health while you were conscious and cognizant enough to speak but when you fell on your way to the bathroom and lay there unconscious, you were no longer capable of voicing your opinion and as the one holding your medical proxy I was allowed by law to decide on your medical needs."

Ranger walked closer to the bed and pressed the call button. He then turned around and walked toward the door. His hand reached out to turn the handle but he looked back at her and spoke.

"There are a lot of people who are and were concerned for your welfare, Babe. We couldn't just stand there and allow you to do something stupid. So, as a result, until you can get yourself back on an even keel we are going to help you, whether you want us to or not. The decision was made that as soon as you regained consciousness, you were going to be moved upstairs for a psychological assessment. You're awake now so they will move you and they are expecting you."

With that, he opened the door as a number of staff walked in. They began to unhook various machines tying her to the wall and unlocked the wheels on the bed.

She turned her head away toward the wall as the bed began to move.

He watched as she seemed to suddenly deflate and a tear run down her cheek. Once again, she was being told what to do and what was happening without any input from her.

~~~o0o~~~

Cal was providing guard duty as they rolled the bed out the door and down the hall. He was under orders to follow until they were safely upstairs and then Rangeman was ordered to leave the floor.

He and Hal observed as she was rolled into a room and the door closed. Their job was done and they were to report back to Rangeman to be re-assigned for the rest of their shift.

They headed downstairs without a word and climbed into the vehicle in the parking lot. The drive was silent all the way back.

Bobby was standing by as they pulled into the garage. He nodded his head to follow him and they headed to his office. He waited by the door as they walked through and closed the door behind them. The DO NOT DISTURB sign swung on its' little hook as the door closed.

He motioned them to take a chair in his office and walking around he sat down and observed them. These two men were close to Stephanie, surprising in some ways since Stephanie had stunned Hal oh so long ago. He had forgiven her and while wary of her actions sometimes, he loved her like a little sister.

Cal was finding it hard to understand why she was acting this way. She had been so appreciative of any help he had offered and she loved to kiss his tat and give it a rub for luck. She had mentioned on a number of occasions that he was her personal good luck charm. Now, she just lay there as they moved her to the other floor. She hadn't said a single word after Ranger had walked out the door and down the hall.

Bobby spoke.

"I put you on that shift for a reason. I know it was hard for you to see her that way and while we are all still trying to understand what's behind her decisions lately, I wanted you to see that we all are just one step away from that ward."

He looked down.

"She needs to have some idea of the ramifications of her actions. It's not just the person who commits suicide but who they leave behind to pick up the pieces. Stephanie thought that by distancing herself away from us all she had some misguided notion that we would just forget about her. Fortunately for her, we still care and we want the best for her."

He looked at the two men in front of him. Cal was muttering to himself and Hal just looked stunned. He was privy to the information that Cal's oldest brother had committed suicide while he was in the Army and while he had been granted bereavement leave he had had to leave shortly after the funeral.

Hal had watched as a comrade in arms had taken his own life in his tent. They needed to really understand what being on the inside watching the ravages left by someone deciding to end it all. Hopefully they would also be seeing the benefits of counseling and understanding.

Bobby stood up and walked with them to the door.

"Stephanie needs us now more than ever. What she is going through will take some time to fix whatever she is dealing with but having a friend or two to lean on will help."

Bobby clapped them on the shoulders as they walked out the door.

"I took you off-shift. You've had enough for one day."

They walked out the door and headed to their rooms. They had a lot to think about.

~~~o0o~~~

Ranger walked down the hall so that he would not be there when they moved Stephanie. His hands were clenched by his side and his face was carefully blank as he headed for the stairs. He walked out of the hospital and headed for his Porsche sitting in the lot.

Seating himself behind the wheel he sped out of the lot being careful to not spin his tires or spray gravel on another car. He headed down the road and out of town.

Turning on the stereo he selected what would be his favorite piece of music, Schubert's "Serenade". It usually calmed him when he had had a long and frustrating day. Today, the soothing sounds did little to make him feel any better.

He remembered her face as he told her that once again she was being dictated to and her choices were not her own. Once again he had done exactly what she had grown up with, albeit a bit more serious, but nevertheless, no choices to choose between.

He hoped that Bobby was right. Her life depended on someone getting into her head and helping her to choose a better path. He had no idea what life had planned for either he or his Babe, but he was damn sure that he would give her every chance to get back on her feet.

He missed her. God he missed her.

~~~o0o~~~

Les had a smile on his face. His handler was forthcoming with some interesting intel. As it turned out Walter Geronimo had an older brother who might or might not be tied in. His eyes on Walter was starting to get results. A number of men were seen meeting with Walter off site a number of times and photos had been taken of the group and sent away for identification.

A few had come back with confirmation that some of the men had been linked to the first kidnapping group oh so many years ago. Now, it looked like they were back.

Les set up a meeting in town with a few of his informants. He wanted ears on the ground listening for some new kind of mine being opened up. Africa was becoming a new and important powerhouse with respect to precious metals and word through the channels at home had hinted that China was in a buying mood, albeit unofficially.

He had wondered at the information that only the very strongest had been taken from plantations and he was getting a feeling now that they were providing the manual labor for such an endeavor. Unfortunately the informant had not been heard from in some time and to all indications, he had been discovered and was now either dead or hopelessly entangled in whatever was happening.

Les was a patient man. He had been on location going on past four months now. He had hoped to be finished by the six month deadline he had pencilled himself in. He was tired of the heat, and the stress and the never-ending work involved with running a plantation.

He had received a number of calls from Veronica and unfortunately she was not as pleased with his efforts this time. He put it down to her continuing cancer treatments. They were very expensive and money was starting to become an issue.

While he was sympathetic to her case, dumping on him was not really fair. He had moved heaven and earth to get the crops off the fields and had secured good prices for it all. Now they were just cleaning up the fields and preparing for the next planting season.

Les had quietly turned his wages back to the workers for the excellent work they had performed and had explained it away that it was a special bonus for working under the extreme conditions they had found themselves in.

He was pleased when Ralph and Sara had approached him through one of the supervisors for permission to get married. He could see the obvious attraction as they walked around the workers living area, staying close but not too close as per the rules. Hand holding was forbidden but after lights out, what happened or who sneaked out to meet who was nobody's business but their own.

A marriage was a simple affair to arrange since very few had family to consult or to invite. Their family were their fellow fieldworkers or house staff.

On a rainy day when no work could be performed the ceremony was hastily arranged and Les, being allowed to perform the ceremony as Foreman, stood in front of the quiet crowd as the soon-to-be Bride and Groom were led by friends to the area.

She had been lovingly washed and dressed in hidden away gay apparel and he had been similarly prepared. They were escorted to the area in front of Les from opposite directions and stood quietly in front of him. Les looked out at the assembly.

He had the standards for marrying in his hand and carefully read out the time-worn words about love and cherishing and looking after their mate. He pronounced them man and wife and had presented them with a present – a picture of their new hut that had been build the evening before. It was furnished with sleeping mats and various vessels to hold possessions.

The community kitchen was already ready for the wedding feast and everyone gathered around to take in the delicious repast.

Les stayed in his room and listened as the party continued through the night. It would be a long day in the fields tomorrow and there would be many grimaces of pain from the home-made liquor that was being passed around.

He wished the happy couple happiness with many children if they wished and a long life together.

He looked at the little dromedary keychain on his night table and wondered how his friends were. He missed them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for staying with me. Stephanie took a long time to get here and she's not going to heal overnight. Oh, and please remember this is FICTION. **

**Thanks to JE for letting us use these resilient characters. All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 12

Due to the in-house care and attention, Stephanie was recovering her strength and her appetite. She had to pass certain milestones before she could gain concessions to her care and the first to go were the restraints.

There were serious speed bumps in the road along the way but the care team felt that they now had an idea where she was and were now working on options for her care. The first after being placed back on solid food was Stephanie being allowed to choose her meals from different menu choices.

Her cardiac specialist had carefully explained that she needed to keep her cholesterol as low as possible which meant that a number of her favorite foods were now off the table, probably forever. Once she had been advised of that fact she realized that Ella had been feeding her from this very same list, but that had never been explained to her. Bobby had never, ever given her an idea that he was aiming for a certain number other than to show excitement when her numbers had fallen after each cholesterol test. For all she had known, he was preparing her for the Rangeman fitness test!

She had grudgingly admitted to the team that she had taken their care and food and had never questioned where it was headed. She had meekly succumbed to authority when she, as a grown woman deserved reasons and answers to her questions that she should have asked. A simple explanation would have probably solved a lot of issues. She was learning how to question without her temper coming to the forefront and was being coached in the fine art of debating.

As she grew stronger she began to walk up and down the ward hallways building up her muscles once again. A physiotherapist had been brought in to give her an idea of exercises she could do without equipment, and a respiratory therapist gave her pointers on increasing her oxygen levels. She was required to participate in both group and private sessions and while the reports came out that she was co-operating within parameters, everybody on her care team believed that she was still holding back. She had kept things bottled up for so long and it would take something or someone to loosen her tongue. They believed that when that happened, the true healing would occur.

She was allowed to request visitation from family and friends in an open visiting room, but her forms remained blank. Requests to see her were refused. It appeared that she was cutting herself off from any family and friends and that in itself was concerning since she could not be safely released until she had a solid network of support outside the hospital.

Stephanie stepped into the room for her scheduled private session and stood in the doorway. Bobby was sitting in the chair that the therapist usually used. She turned around to leave but the door closed and she was unable to leave.

She stood by the door, unwilling to move further into the room.

Bobby sat quietly waiting. He had been chosen to be the first to see her by her therapeutic staff since he was by all senses a healer and the least danger to her emotions.

Bobby spoke.

"You might as well come and sit down, Steph. They're not going to unlock that door as you well know for a half hour unless I press the button, so you might as well be comfortable."

Stephanie considered her choices and took a chair the farthest away from him that she could. She knew from experience that every piece of furniture in the room was securely attached to the floor and that she could not take a chair and move it to a corner.

She sat down saying nothing. To move onto the next step she had to have a positive check mark on each of her therapies.

Her Burg upbringing came to the front and she politely spoke.

"Hello, Bobby. How are you?"

He smiled knowing that any outburst would put her back to square one on the next conditions.

"I'm fine. You're looking good and I see that you have been gaining some weight. I hope the clothes that Ella sent from your closet are beginning to fit a little better now."

She looked down at the outfit she was wearing today and shrugged.

Bobby waited for her to speak but then he softly murmured.

"The guys say hi. They miss you sitting at your desk with your ipod playing those tunes. They say its too quiet there without you."

Her eyes stayed down looking at the gray, commercial quality carpet. The toe of her slip-on runners was making a pattern in the strands.

He tried again.

"Tank and Lula moved into their new place and Lula is taking shots so that the cats don't bother her. She is doing really well and actually picked one up a couple days ago."

She stayed silent.

"Ella found one of your stashes of Tasty cakes when she was doing her fall cleaning and mentioned that she thought she knew all your hiding places, but that one had escaped her notice."

Nothing.

The timer rang and Stephanie almost lept to her feet moving to the door.

Bobby spoke to her back as she waited for the door to unlock.

"Ranger says hi."

~~~o0o~~~

There was a consultation and the people in the room were watching the videos of Bobby and Stephanie. There were enough camera angles that most facial expressions would be caught by at least one camera and they watched each angle carefully.

Ranger sat in the room watching with the care team. He had been participating and listening as each milestone had been attained and agreed with the next condition to be met.

Her time was coming to an end and they were contemplating releasing her. She had participated in her care, was taking her meds and had not caused any trouble with any of the staff. To all intents and purposes she was ready to be released to an outside therapist who would continue to monitor her progress.

Her physical health was probably as good as it was going to get without intensive physical activity but it was deemed that she had a say in how much she wanted to do. It was her life.

Ranger was watching her expression as Bobby had divulged little tidbits of information. After consulting with the team, he and Bobby had carefully decided what to tell her and he watched her eyes as Bobby spoke. Her eyes looked the happiest at Tank and Lula living together. She had shown no expression of Ella's choices of clothes. He grimaced as her eyes slightly flashed when Bobby had said that he'd said hi."

Ranger sighed. He had always told her that what he did for her had no price and he would continue to pay until she stopped with her therapy.

There was a discussion where she would go after release. Her parents had once again offered to let her stay in the family home, but there was a general reluctance to allow that. She needed health care on a reduced but continuing basis and she needed to work so that she would not just sit around all day.

Bounty hunting was certainly off the table for the foreseeable future, if not forever so that was out. Lula was filing and back to doing simple recovery of FTA's so that left nothing there.

Ranger had mentioned that there was always work she could do at Rangeman and there was an open apartment on four, but there was a reluctance on the part of the team to suggest that.

They put off the decision for a few more sessions and prepared to leave.

The therapist in charge turned to Ranger.

"I want you to be the next to see her Ranger. I want to see how she reacts to you. Will she act the same as she did with your medic and shut down in your presence? I actually want to see some emotion. I want to see how she will react. She can't walk around you for the rest of her life; you both live in the same city. It's going to happen and I'm curious to see her initial reaction."

Ranger nodded. He had been wondering when they would suggest it. Logic dictated that as her boss and holding her medical proxy that she would show some emotion if and when he showed up. He had heard that she'd tried to have his proxy deemed invalid because in her mind she had quit Rangeman and that form was now null and void but as she was being treated in a care facility she was not allowed to make the change. Another choice had been taken away from her.

He had hesitated at the questions the team had asked him. How would he explain their relationship. Was it a 'friends with benefits' kind of thing, a committed relationship or a boss only interested in an employee's welfare? To say it was 'complicated' sounded hollow to even his ears.

Ranger prepared for the meeting. He'd decided not to dress in his black Rangeman uniform but instead had come in jeans and a sweatshirt taking into consideration the cooler days of fall. He let his hair hang down since she had always said she liked it that way. Feeling rather naked without any weapons of any kind on him he walked down the hall, wondering how this was going to go.

The members of the team were waiting and slipped away. They would meet after and discuss what transpired.

Ranger sat down in the only chair that allowed his back to be against the wall. He always felt safer that way and years of watching his back refused to allow him to take another choice. In hindsight, he thought that Stephanie would agree to his choice since he always sat that way anyway and it would not be out of character.

He tried to relax as he heard the door open.

She walked in and the only sign of surprise was in her eyes for a quick moment and then she shuttered her feelings. Once again, the door closed and they could both hear the lock turn.

This time, Stephanie stood by the door and leaned against it. Half an hour was not a long time and she was feeling stronger.

Ranger silently cleared his throat since it felt a bit dry.

"Hi, Babe."

Stephanie nodded her head just a fraction and remained standing.

Ranger spoke.

"Bobby told me how much better you were looking and I wanted to see for myself."

Nothing.

He tried again.

"Ella asked if she could send something as a special food treat. She misses seeing you and wondered how you were."

Nothing.

Stephanie looked at the clock. 25 minutes left.

Ranger cleared his throat.

"I hear that you are doing much better medically and you have been passing your condition checks. I suspect that you will be getting out of here soon."

Nothing.

He spoke again.

"Have you thought about what you want to do when you leave?"

She looked at the clock. 22 minutes.

"I heard that Les might be back soon. He sent a quick note that he thinks that he found his needle and was thanking you for teaching him how to think outside the box."

Her eyes flickered and a very tiny smile peeked out.

Ranger grew bolder.

"We plan on having a party when he gets back. He mentioned that this definitely was the last mission and he is now ready to settle down. I have no idea what his idea of settling down really is, but I'm sure the ladies of Trenton will be seeing him soon."

Nothing.

He tried again.

"Grandma Mazur has been terrorizing the funeral home again. The only person she even begins to listen to is Hector and he's had to come and escort her out a number of times. They don't even phone the main number at Rangeman anymore, just his personal cell."

18 minutes.

Ranger who never sighed, sighed. This was really, really hard.

"Connie told me that Joe is seeing Sophia and it sounds pretty serious. I hear that you introduced them."

A flicker of her eyes.

14 minutes left. Her legs were beginning to ache but she never changed position.

"I like how you are doing your hair. Mr. Alexander told me he was adding in the good stuff to your care package."

Her eyes grimaced at the word, 'care'.

She looked at the clock. 8 minutes.

Ranger sighed again and slouched in the chair, a very uncharacteristic movement on his part.

"I did it for you, Babe. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't let you die."

Stephanie reared herself up to her full height. Check marks be damned.

She bit out the words.

"All my life I have been dictated to, ordered around and coddled. I am an adult, Ranger and while I admit I did some really stupid things, they were my choice. I hated when you took away my choices with trying to lock me down. Yes, it was to try to keep me safe, but you ordered me to stay. The trackers you kept slipping into my purse or on my cars? How about a vehicle following me everywhere, including shopping at my favorite stores? How about the camera in my apartment that time? Did I get a choice when I came from the hospital back to Rangeman. You assumed that I would stay on seven. Nobody asked my opinion. I wasn't even allowed to choose my clothing each day, the towels I dirtied or the food I ate. I had no choice!"

She took a breath as much to calm down as to gain more oxygen.

"I don't want to dump on Ella or anyone for caring for me and I really do appreciate it. But Ranger, it just confirmed that I need to have the freedom to fly on my own. That's why I never totally moved in with Morelli. I knew ten minutes after I let my apartment go that it was a mistake and I was going to regret that. I know it's a huge waste of money keeping an apartment because I just need to get away sometimes."

Her face scrunched up. She looked at Ranger again.

"I felt suffocated in that building. I love the men and some days I even love you, but my world was caving in on me and I had nothing to decide. Then, when the appointment with Dr. Starzinski came and went and I still had no choices, I snapped. Nobody told me that only a couple more weeks and I would have been given a clean bill of health."

She marched away from the door and paced the room.

"I know it was stupid and not fair to put my family through hell as I deliberately tried to harm myself, but you know Ranger, it was my choice! I chose to do that and in time I will apologize to them. Unfortunately they probably believe that I cannot be trusted to do what's right, but I want to stand on my own two feet and tell the world that I actually do know what I'm doing! Right now I have no idea what I want to do with my life or where I want to do it, but I demand a say!

She began to see spots in front of her eyes and grabbed the back of a chair for support and her vision cleared. Her voice quieted and she looked at Ranger as he had risen to his feet ready to lend assistance.

"I will always value all the time and money you keep paying for me to be safe but I need options. I'm not some school girl too young or immature to decide some things in my life.

All I'm asking for are options to live my life."

The lock sounded and she marched back to the door, turned the knob, opened the door and walked out.

Ranger looked at a camera. He had no idea if he had helped or not.

~~~o0o~~~

Les cleaned his weapons in preparation for the operation tonight. Under the cover of darkness they were going to raid the location of the mine where the men were being held. All reports had pointed to five men who were spearheading the operation.

They prepared with care. Obviously there would be a strong military presence who had been kept in the dark about their involvement assisting the raid. Ears were everywhere and blowing the surprise factor now would cause unnecessary bloodshed. Tools to free the men were also being brought to cut the chains and shackles keeping them from escaping or moving more than the short chains keeping their legs from walking normally.

The stealth helicopters were ready to transport the rescue force, swooping in under the cover of darkness with nary a sound to alert anyone to their arrival.

Les was dressed for the part in his dark clothing and he already had cammo'd up. Grabbing his night vision goggles he strode to the building for the final briefing.

He could feel the little keychain in his pocket and hoped that it did bring him good luck. Right about now he was ready to take any talisman he could find to ensure that this operation was soon over.

~~~o0o~~~

Joe had the ring purchased and he had approached her father. At least it would not be a shot-gun wedding but the silent, but efficient threats hung in the air. Hurt her, and his body would disappear, never to be seen again. Joe had absolutely no problem believing all that Mr. Antonio said, or didn't.

He had finally checked with Connie and she had blanched at the name. While he was no longer active in the Family business, he was still a very, very powerful man and not one to tangle with. Connie's soft, 'good luck' rang in his ears as he left the office.

They were headed to a little restaurant outside of Trenton. Joe tried to remain calm on the drive but his palms were sweating and his breathing was a bit on the elevated side.

Sophia had looked over at him and put her hand over his.

"I never noticed before but you look really good in a suit, Joe."

Joe almost chuckled to himself. Cupcake had told him on numerous occasions that he looked like a gangster himself if he wore a suit and here he was about to ask the daughter of a gangster to be his wife.

He tried to relax and asked her how her day had gone.

Sophia walked right into it saying that she had taken a patient in a wheelchair on an outing outside the hospital and they were noticing how the hoar frost had settled in the trees and had made everything all sparkly. There was no wind to blow it away and while it was fairly chilly outside the beauty of nature had been refreshing to them both.

Sophia had not commented on Stephanie after her first admission and Joe had not asked. Everything about her was quiet and even her family had not spoken of what she was doing or where she was.

They pulled up to the front of the restaurant and a valet was standing by to park his vehicle. Joe opened the door and holding the keys still in his hand, he walked around to the passenger side of the SUV and opened the door, holding his hand out for her to grasp as she slid down the seat onto the ground. Her full-length gown made taking a long step difficult and she was happy for the assistance.

Joe handed the keys to the young man and putting his hand on the small of her back, he escorted her in. The maitre d' was waiting with two menus and leading the way, he led them to a table for two in a secluded corner of the room.

He gave a knowing wink to Joe that Sophia did not see and left them.

Joe looked over the wine list provided and ordered an Italian wine he had seen at her father's place earlier. She smiled at his choice.

They clinked their glasses very gently to each other and then took a sip.

Sophia left her menu closed letting Joe choose her meal and he beamed at her trust in his judgment. He placed the orders and they sat and holding hands, chatted about this and that. It was very relaxed and they never noticed that there was nobody in the restaurant near them.

The meal was eaten and Sophia looked around for a dessert menu, but none had been offered.

She noticed their waiter walking toward her with a small dome over a plate.

Joe began to look nervous as the waiter placed it in front of her and sidled away.

He slipped off his chair and knelt down by her knee, taking her left hand in his.

Joe cleared his throat before he spoke.

"I despaired ever finding someone to share my life with me but thanks to a good friend, there is someone who I want to walk with me through life for the rest of my life. Sophia, you would make me the happiest man in the world tonight if you would accept my offer of marriage? I'm asking for your hand if you will have me."

He reached over and lifted the tiny dome and there, nestled on a plate with red rose petals spread all around it was an open box with a beautiful ring.

Sophia could only put her free hand to her mouth as she whispered, "Yes."

She watched as he took the ring out of its enclosure and gently holding her left hand, he slipped the diamond onto her left finger, then kissing the ring on her finger, he stood up and pulled her to his feet and putting his arms around her, he gave her a kiss to seal his promise.

The happy couple heard a few people clapping and a couple of wolf whistles as they held each other in their embrace.

They gathered up the box and her stole and began to walk to the door. The maitre'd was waiting and as Joe stopped to pay for the meal, he shook his head. He spoke softly.

"Tonight is a night to celebrate. Tomorrow you come back and pay."

Joe put his hand on Sophia's back under the stole once again and guided her to his vehicle that was already waiting at the front door. He was gently rubbing his fingers in gentle but very suggestive circles under the stole and she was trying not to show how it was affecting her in front of the pimply-faced kid.

Joe helped her to settle in the passenger seat and running around to the driver's side he hopped in and they sped off.

There was a little knoll overlooking Trenton that they had found by accident one evening and as they sat and admired the lights twinkling down below. They held hands and reveled in the moment. Later would be a time for celebration and knowing that both of them were scheduled for a late shift tomorrow made it all the more exciting.

The maitre d' was right. Tonight was a night for celebration.


	13. Chapter 13

**Many, many thanks for the thoughtful reviews. As usual, all mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 13

Les sunk down on the plane seat and sighed.

Six months almost to the day and he was on his way home. He had to make a small side-trip but that was OK in his mind.

He was on his way to Sweden to drop off a special package to a young doctor who was working at a hospital in Stockholm. Les tried out his Swedish on himself. It was pretty darn rusty and even to him the inflection was forced. Well, he hoped it would pass if who he was looking for was hard to locate.

He stepped out of the airport and caught a cab. He had only a few short hours before his connection left and his bags were already checked through.

Pulling up to the hospital he hopped out noting that there were a number of cabs waiting for fares so he paid off the driver and thanked him. The driver grimaced at him butchering his beautiful language and Les vowed to switch back to English only.

He walked into the main entranceway and headed for the reception desk. He had a piece of paper in his hand and the little package was in his pocket.

Handing the note to the lady in a pink jacket with baby bunnies on it, he waited while she typed the name in the computer. Taking a pen, she wrote down a number and handed the note back.

Thanking her, in English, he noticed the large sign explaining which numbers meant which floor and which specific elevator to take to reach that particular floor.

Les strode to the elevator indicated and waited for it to arrive. He was standing by a family who were also waiting and he couldn't help but overhear the conversation.

"It's Lucie's last chance. I hope the good doctor can help her because I don't think she can wait for the procedure to be approved in the States."

His ears had perked up and he stilled his thoughts.

"Her breathing is getting more and more laboured and I was surprised they even let us on the plane with her practically gasping. It's a good thing we didn't have an on-board emergency because I don't think she could walk to the emergency slides to evacuate."

The family tried to joke that the last time they, as a family had gone water sliding they had paid substantially less for the pleasure of rushing down the hard surface, scratching both the back of their legs and back and shredding their swimsuit bottoms. They were jostling each other and joking, but it was forced.

Les watched as the elevator arrived and he waited as the large family entered the small enclosure. It looked at first glance that they had filled the entire cavity. He stepped back to wait for the next one. The family matriarch motioned him in and everyone squeezed together a bit more to give him room. It was silent in the elevator as they rose swiftly.

Stepping out of the elevator as the door opened, the family looked at the sign advising which way to which office and they all headed down the hall.

Les noted that they were both gravitating to the same office suite and he slowed his steps.

He stepped into the office and walking to the reception desk he waited for the lady in hospital attire to acknowledge his presence. She obviously finished a sentence and looked up.

"Good afternoon. Do you have an appointment?"

He shook his head and she pursed her lips in annoyance.

"Sir, this is a referral medical office only and you will be required to have your physician make an appointment."

She turned her chair signifying that she was done speaking with him, but Les persevered.

"Dr. Olson practiced in Africa during his missionary contract and one of his young patients found out that I was flying home and making a stop in Stockholm. She asked me to try to give him her present and thank him for saving her life."

The lady looked up. He had given just enough information there was some question that he had not just grasped at straws for a chance to see the doctor.

"Dr. Olson is presently conferring with a family and after that, I could try to give him the present if you want."

Les shook his head.

"She was very specific that I needed to give it to him since there is a story with the gift."

Her lips pursed once more and she shrugged her shoulders.

"I will give him the message but I cannot guarantee that he will see you."

Les nodded and spoke again.

"Please tell him that Anna walked to their checkpoint."

The lady, whose name tag read Karin, wrote the sentence down on a little sheet of paper and placed it to the side of her work station.

"As I said, I will ask. If you will take a seat, it might be awhile."

Les nodded and thanking her he took a seat with his back to the wall. There was the family group in the room on one side of the room and a young woman and someone he assumed could be her sister sitting in a corner on the other. He watched as they nervously fidgeted in their chairs.

The two women were called and they stood up and holding hands, said a little prayer and then walked through the door that was being held open.

Les watched the family. They were the same group he had ridden up in the elevator with. Unable to stay still any longer he made his way close to them and sat down again. He looked at the father figure sitting ramrod straight in his chair, looking neither to the left or the right, ignoring the whispers from the other members.

Les thought about intruding into their space but he was willing to be chastised and he spoke.

"I cannot deny that I heard about your family members' issues with her health. I happen to have a very good friend who was injured and she might be having much the same issues with her health and I was wondering if you could shed some light on the services of this clinic."

The man shook himself and his first grimace told Les that he might be stepping on toes, but he sighed.

"Lucie was injured in a hunting accident. Her hunting partner mistook her for a deer and accidentally shot her in the chest. The doctors stabilized her and the prevailing opinion is either a heart transplant in the very near future or something that has not yet been approved in the U.S. It is called a Mitra Clip. This clinic in Sweden and one in Norway is and has been performing the procedure for a number of months and they are getting very good results from the procedure. In their opinion and it has been confirmed by both our family doctor and the specialist that in a number of cases, the patients who have had this operation have rallied enough that a transplant might not necessary and they can move on and lead a full and healthy life."

He looked down at his hands.

"We tried to get our daughter in on the trials but she was turned down. They seemed to feel that her condition was too precarious so we're hoping that the doctors here can help our Lucie. We are prepared to stay here until she is improved enough to travel back home. We've already been advised that no doctor can by law treat her back home as this Clip has not yet been approved."

He clenched his hands and grimaced.

"She has been here taking some tests all morning and we are now here waiting for the word from the doctor. As they explained when we brought her in, she will already know the doctor's decision but since there is a sizable cost and a time frame to remain in Sweden, they also advise us. If it is a go, she is already being prepped for the operation that should be performed tomorrow. If she is not able to handle the procedure, we will also be advised today. To say that we are concerned is putting it mildly, but we are hopeful she meets their criteria."

Les remembered that much the same thing was happening with patients and their families of travelling, at great expense, to other countries for various procedures. In the news right now was something to do with widening the neck veins of MS patients.

Les put his hand out and the man looked at him, then reached out and shook his hand.

Les looked at the family who had now stopped whispering and were listening.

"I hope that the news will be favourable and your daughter is able to recover with the help of this device. My heart goes out to you having to face this challenge of a loved one."

He stood up and retreated back to his chair by the wall just as the two women walked out. Their demeanor was much more relaxed than when they had disappeared through the door and in one case she was smiling, and the other bore a look of cautious optimism. Everybody in the waiting room heard the receptionist say as she handed one a sheet of paper.

"Dr. Olson will perform the procedure tomorrow morning. He has booked the operation for 8am and I assume you want to see your husband for a few minutes before, so you should plan to be at the hospital by 6:30."

The two women walked out the door hugging each other for both comfort and relief.

The receptionist spoke up again and the family Les had just spoken to stood up and headed for the now open door.

Les sat thinking. This appeared to be a clinic that was performing some kind of procedure that was not yet approved in the US. He wondered if this might be something that would help Beautiful if she had not been able to bounce back. Who knew if this 'thing' would be approved, and well, if he had an 'in' because of what he was carrying, well, it was good to keep ones' options open. He was an opportunist after all.

Les sat waiting. He checked his watch. He was cutting it close but he had to try.

The lady spoke up.

"Dr. Olson will see you for just a moment. If you will follow me please."

The door was open and he hurried to follow her.

She led him to an office and shut the door behind her.

A young, very dark skinned man was sitting at his desk and he looked up. He stood up and shook Les's hand.

"I hear my Anna sent me a present. I hope she is well and recovering from her injuries."

Les nodded his head and carefully extricated the little present in its crudely wrapped package from his pocket and handed it to the man.

"She is so very happy. I was the Foreman of the plantation and managed to keep an eye on her while I was working there. She tried every morning to walk as you had encouraged her to do. I never ever saw such determination in such a youngster in all my life. The day she finally reached the checkpoint, she practically danced for joy and the tears streamed down her face. I thought at first she was injured and had done too much but she smiled at me and told me that you had believed she could do it and she was going to keep trying until she did."

Dr. Olson was untying the string and carefully opened the brown paper. She had drawn some pictures with crayons and he carefully folded it and put it to the side.

Inside the paper was a small medal. Dr. Olson smiled as he palmed it.

"I carried her to the post and she watched as I removed my penknife and cut an indentation in the post and then put this little medal in it. I told her that if she really wanted to, she could get strong enough to walk there and get it."

He sighed.

"I never expected to see it again and I wondered if she had been able to. I thought that if, by any chance she did, she might keep it as a souvenir."

Les smiled at him.

"I think that her best memory will be getting to it on her own, then somehow returning this to you confirming that she had accomplished it."

Les stood up. He needed to get back to the airport for his flight but he had a question.

"I have a very good friend who was shot in the chest and might be having some issues. Talking a bit with the family you are about to meet with, their daughter in much the same condition my friend is, I was wondering. If her situation becomes worse and if we can get her here to your clinic, would you be willing to see if your procedure could improve her quality of life? She is too much of a good person to sit around and die and I for one will do whatever I can to not have it happen."

Dr. Olson picked a card out of the card holder on his desk and he wrote something on the back.

"If the situation becomes as precarious as you think it might come to, contact me at this number and mention our conversation and I will see what I can do. I assume you know that my services are not free, but I will try to accommodate you as best I can."

Les nodded his head. He had money, and he knew that Ranger had more. They couldn't take it with them when they died and helping Beautiful seemed like a good way to spend it.

He shook hands with the surgeon and walked out the door, pausing to thank the reception lady.

She nodded her head and continued to type. She had passed on the message and Dr. Olson had made the decision to see him.

Les raced back to the front entrance and hopped in a cab ordering him to make tracks to the airport. He hoped he had not missed his flight or there would be hell to pay. His bags would have been taken off and with the flight delay and angry passengers waiting to leave, well it was better to make the flight and get home.

Home. It sounded good to think of going home.


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you Janet for your amazing characters.**

**All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 14

Stephanie sat stiffly in the meeting room. She was surrounded by her care team and Ranger was sitting by the door.

The team were meeting to discuss her progress and they had called her in.

Her personal therapist looked at Stephanie.

"I'm pleased with how you've embraced your treatment and have tried hard to pass each checkpoint as it was presented. Your physical health has improved with the diet and your medications. Your team and I believe that it's time to discharge you to an outpatient status, stressing that you will need to continue to see Melanie as many times as she deems necessary."

She stopped talking and looked at Melanie who then spoke.

"Stephanie and I have had a number of chats and I believe I have a handle on her continuing care. She understands that this is a long-term situation and we will be seeing each other for the foreseeable future."

She looked down the line at Ranger and he stared back at Stephanie as he spoke.

"Stephanie has made the choice to move to Rangeman and take an apartment in our building. While she will be the only woman in the building besides our housekeeper, she has stated that she feels safe and the choice was hers as to the living accommodation. She and my second in command, Tank Sherman have discussed her working arrangements and until her health is deemed strong enough she will work on a part-time basis only, reporting to him.

After consultation she has agreed that our medic, Robert Brown will continue to monitor her health on a reduced and as needed basis. She has also taken the responsibility to work with our housekeeper to keep her diet in the parameters as set out by her dietician. At the same time, she has volunteered herself for gradual physical training to improve her health at a level that she and her trainer, Cal Griffin will mutually agree to."

He looked around the room at the members in attendance then at Stephanie.

"Stephanie is and has been an employee within my company for a number of years and she is very competent. I will take care not to put undue stress on her, but at the same time she needs to understand that I am the owner and my word is final on some rules."

Stephanie sat very still as each person had spoken. She looked up at the silence and they were all looking at her waiting for her to speak, or to contradict anything that had been pointed out. She shook her head and shrugged. Anything to get out of here she would agree to. Time would tell how it would work. Her hands were tied.

Unfortunately for her she needed a place to stay after her hospitalization and returning to her parents' place had been vetoed. Lula was living with Tank, and Connie had too small of a house to accommodate a roomie. That left an apartment at Rangeman. While she was not looking forward to having to be in contact with Ranger, she couldn't see any way past her situation.

Stephanie was back under Bobby's medical care and she had another cardiac specialist appointment booked for one month from discharge. She hoped that the results would be better this time. At the same time, she was not planning on any special celebration to earmark the event. That ship had passed. She would bide her time and assess her next move. Everything hinged on a positive report from Melanie and the positive assessment from her doctor.

Her discharge was booked for three days time and until then she was to continue the pattern that had been set.

Stephanie wondered who would be marching her back to Rangeman.

~~~o0o~~~

Lula and Tank were making plans. Long term and happy plans and while not giddy about the possibility, were at least quietly happy.

He had asked her on bended knee at their favorite retreat to be his wife. He was OK with her never being able to have children and truth be known, he had never felt the need to want them. Cats were his children and Lula, despite her allergic reaction to them without medication, had let them grow on her too.

She had commented that one kitten he had kept from his last litter certainly had a mind of her own and wanted to forge her own path in life. She had accidentally called it 'Stephanie' one day and had clapped her hand over her mouth. Tank had looked at her with a funny expression and had admitted that she also reminded him of Stephanie.

They both silently wondered how she was doing and what her future looked like.

Tank was mindful that she was going to be coming back to Rangeman but he had not divulged that information to Lula as yet. There had been a number of meetings dealing with the subject and while it could be a bit touchy for awhile, everyone involved resolved to make it as painless as possible for her.

She would be moving into a fourth floor apartment and Bobby would be her main care giver. He would take point in making sure she was attending any and all necessary appointments. He had been in contact with Melanie and they had agreed that some appointments were to be held in her office and some in a conference room at Rangeman. She wanted to observe Stephanie around the men and the environment.

He was taking responsibility for assigning her work and once again they had plans to set up a cubicle close to his office. They had all agreed that she might feel uncomfortable in the main working area, but it was pointed out that someone should really ask her opinion this time before assigning her workspace.

Cal had volunteered to take care of her physical exercise. She had related to him the next best, and he could gently cajole her to try to increase her stamina. Her doctor had stressed that the stronger she could get with cardio, the better it would be down the line if she had another medical set-back.

Ella was once again in charge of her diet. It was a continuing battle to keep her sugars down and her proteins up, giving her the best chance to recover as much as she could. But this time, they would work together on her diet. Ella volunteered to teach Stephanie how to cook some of the easier meals that she could put together and that too would make her choosing what she wanted to eat an option.

Ella had always cooked the meals for the men with healthcare in mind, but she was mindful that Stephanie would probably choose to eat most of her meals in the break room. Even with lessons it was assumed that she had no real desire to learn to cook much and would venture out of her apartment at mealtime.

She sat in the meeting and mentally wondered if or when Stephanie would actually talk to her nephew. She reasoned that they were wildly different dimensional characters and until they could agree to disagree it might be painful being in the same room. Ranger saw things on more of a global basis and Stephanie was more of a city block kind of person.

They hoped they were ready and wanted to be prepared just in case they weren't.

~~~o0o~~~

Joe visited his mother and grandmother with Sophia at his side.

They walked up the walk to both of his alternately loving and scary relatives standing at the door watching them come closer.

Joe smiled to himself. It must be a Burg thing, but this happened more than enough times to family and friends that they could never sneak up unannounced.

He gave a kiss to each cheek and held the door for his three women to walk in.

Sophia had been to the house enough and could smell the lasagna in the oven and her mouth watered. Angie made the best lasagna with lots of Italian sausage and cheeses and noodles. She could smell the fresh baking and hoped that they would be invited to supper.

She glanced at her watch surreptitiously and thought they were cutting it close. Too much sooner and it would have been too early and any later and it would have appeared that they were coming to mooch a free meal.

Joe watched as the Morelli women sat down across from them on the chesterfield. They sat with their hands in their lap and waited for their Joey to tell them why they were there.

His eyes gave nothing away but they noticed that Sophia had slipped her left hand into his and he had given her a squeeze, almost as if for strength.

Joe cleared his throat.

"Grandma Bella, Momma. Sophia and I have some news."

The ladies looked at each other and a smile peeked out.

Joe started again.

"Last night I asked Sophia to be my wife and she graciously accepted. Now, I know that you two want to immediately start to plan a huge wedding but we are both adamant that we only want a small ceremony. Just close friends and immediate family. If we opened it up, we might as well invite most of Italy along with the whole Burg and we just don't want that drama."

He stopped talking because both women had jumped up and had pulled Sophia out of her seat and were alternately hugging and kissing her and tears were flowing down all three women's cheeks. They admired the ring on her finger and hugged her again.

Almost as an afterthought, he was pulled to them too for a hug and a kiss and words like, 'it's about time, and we had prayed that she was the one'.

The sat down again eventually and Angie's hand inched to the phone but Joe shook his head.

"No Mama. I don't want to start getting phone calls yet. We have already made arrangements to have the ceremony next week in Sophia's parents garden. While it is quite large, we are only planning on using a tiny portion."

He looked at them and could already see the scheming in their eyes. He looked at Sophia and she shrugged. He had wondered just this very thing if they were making a mistake. Maybe a quick trip to Las Vegas would have been better under the circumstances.

Angie jumped up and headed for the kitchen.

"You must stay for supper. Please stay there and I will be ready in just a few minutes."

Bella also stood up and heading to the kitchen, she looked back and smiled at the young couple.

"Don't do anything I would do," and she breezed out.

Sophia put her head on Joe's shoulder and sighed.

"How much are you betting that the extension is in use right now with the news?"

Joe shook his head. He had been thinking the same thing. By the time they got home to either place the news would be all over. He reached into his pocket and turned off his cell and Sophia reached into her purse to do the same thing.

He had noticed Bella's slip of the tongue, or not.

~~~o0o~~~

Les stepped off the plane and there was Ranger waiting at the departure area to bring him home. They gave man hugs and punched each other on a shoulder as a greeting. Grabbing the bags, they headed to the car.

Ranger drove back to Rangeman as Les gave a quick description of his adventure. He looked really tired around the eyes but he was unhurt after the quick take-down.

It had been an almost textbook raid. They had swooped in and had surprised the security force without a shot being fired. Next, they were able to catch all the principal actors in a meeting and they too were captured without a shot fired.

They found most of the snatched workers in sleeping huts and had swiftly released them from their restraints. It took a number of vehicles brought in but all the captured men had been checked out by medics on hand and then plans were drawn up to return them to their plantations or those who were free were given the opportunity to go back to their place of employment or released.

The repercussions of the seizures would be covered up by the territorial government but it was safe to say that a major supply line had been severed and once again the receiver would have to pay fair market value for the goods.

The mine had been taken over by a conglomerate of companies in the territory. Until it was cleared through the channels they would all be running it with the eventual option of bidding for the right to add it to their holdings. Les suspected that it would take time and nothing would ever make it to the media.

Les had been thanked in private for his work and his detective abilities. He had graciously stated that it was a community effort to stop the ravaging of both workers and product.

He had contacted Veronica and given his notice, once again thanking her for allowing him to do his work under cover of running one of her holdings. She had sounded much weaker than when he saw her and reading between the lines, he had some doubts that her treatments were keeping the cancer at bay.

He wished her well and she stated that if she needed a favor she would call him. He had immediately given her his personal cell number in case she had misplaced it and declared that she could call anytime.

Ranger waited for him to finish his summary of his mission and remained silent. Les quickly picked up on his reserve.

He cut to the chase.

'So, how's Beautiful? I assume by now she's bouncing around and as healthy as she can be. I don't see any bags under your eyes, man, so you two must be getting some sleep."

He winked and sat back.

Ranger cleared his throat and Les got a bad feeling. Had those two screwed up things again and were in an off-period? Had she left him to go back to Morelli since he continued to deny that they were in a relationship?

Ranger had the radio off and he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, a sure sign he was agitated.

"Stephanie has had some challenges since you left. She basically went off everything that was keeping her healthy and dumped Rangeman, hiding out in her parent's house until she had abused her body medically and lost consciousness. She was rushed to the hospital and has been under their care since then.

As a matter of fact, she will be discharged tomorrow and will be moving back into a fourth floor apartment."

He kept his eyes on the road and listened as Les sucked in his breath at the news. Not being in the loop at all for six months he had heard nothing of the struggles nor the after effects.

He found himself wanting to ask questions, but not. He really needed to talk to Bobby. Bobby would tell him what he could and he had such a way that he could give information without really abusing the patient/caregiver code.

The rest of the trip was made in silence.

Les climbed out of the car in the garage and waved at the camera. He was just tired enough and jet lagged enough that the open elevator drew him to its' interior and he noticed that when the door closed five lit up.

Ranger had taken the stairs and almost beat him to the floor, but as he emerged from the stairwell, he could see that the men had surrounded Les and were giving him handshakes and back slaps or fist bumps.

Tank stood back with Bobby. They would meet afterwards and have their own celebration later. It was nice to have the Core Team together again. He had been missed with his sense of humor and his silly pranks around the office.

Gradually the crowd thinned around him and he moved to Ranger's office with the three trailing behind.

They closed the door and did their own greeting complete with another noogie from Ranger. It seemed to be a new family tradition and he was looking forward to seeing the family at the acreage on the weekend. His parents had been contacted and they knew he was back on US soil and were eagerly awaiting his visit. The whole Core Team had been invited and his mother had made sure to remind him to invite Stephanie.

They sat down in their usual chairs and relaxed. Comfortable silence emanated from the group until Les spouted out.

"OK, so what the hell happened to Beautiful? When I left she was happy and just starting to heal. Did she relapse or was something missed?"

Everyone looked at Ranger and he shook his head.

Bobby took pity on him and spoke.

"Steph thought she was further ahead in her recovery and received some news that it was taking longer than expected. It set her off that she would never regain her former health and what was the use in trying and basically dumping everyone at Rangeman, left and headed to her parents house where she eventually holed up in her room.

Bobby took a breath. That long, very long sentence had put into a nutshell the major points.

Les looked around and noticed the grimace on each mans' face.

Bobby elaborated even more.

"We couldn't get access since she refused to see us and until she had abused her system so much that she fell unconscious we were unable to do anything.

Since Ranger has her medical proxy he invoked it and she was put in a psychiatric assessment unit to heal both medically and emotionally. She has been progressing and is scheduled to be released tomorrow but the case team refused to allow her to return home and start it all over. She needed to work and a place to stay so she is moving into a fourth floor apartment."

He took a quick breath and continued.

"Tank is taking responsibility for her working, and I'm in charge of her medical assessments and primary care. Ella is back catering to her diet and Cal will take on her physical training to continue to build up her stamina."

He looked around.

"You know, she hasn't seen Les since he left and she might not feel he is up-to-date on what she is going through. I think we should have Les pick her up and bring her here. He's not a threat to her and they do have a special rapport."

He looked around at the others and they all slowly nodded. It was a good idea and each person had gone through the entire staff wondering who would be best to pick her up. They had originally thought of Hector but he still tried to make people believe that he only spoke Spanish.

There was a silent vote and they nodded. Les was going to pick up the Bomber.

This should be interesting in more ways than one.

A/N -**Thanks to purple 22464. She said it better than I could have about 2 and 3 dimensional people.**

**Myrna**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you for all the reviews. These are our payment and very much appreciated. As always, all mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 15

Joe and Sophia were racing around trying to get all the arrangements ready in time. The wedding was in six days. Her father and mother were adamant that they would be in charge of getting their home and yard ready for the ceremony and afterward a light lunch. Being fall, it never paid to depend on the luck of good weather and as a result they were also thinking that if it was inclement they would just move it all indoors. Their house was quite large and would easily hold the few people the nearly newly-weds wanted to invite.

Mr. Antonio prepared with care. This was his baby girl who was getting married and he wanted her to be safe. He had sufficient security at his beck and call and while he was 'out of the game', he wasn't, sort-of.

Mrs. Antonio had the caterer already jumping through hoops with her demands. She loved swans and by god her daughter and future son-in-law were going to have an ice sculpture of two swans with their necks entwined as a centre-piece. She had a carver flying in for the event.

Since the kids didn't want a big production she would ratchet down her plans, a bit. She had already phoned Mrs. Morelli and had confirmed that while the Morelli family was fully Italian would they be adverse to a little Greek on the side? Her parents lived in the old country and would be flying in.

Sophia shuddered as she headed to the family home with the bags in her car. Dress shopping and advising them that she was buying off the rack for immediate purchase had sent shock waves through the bridal shop. Did everybody wait a year or two after they became engaged? No, she was not pregnant as she noticed them checking out her belly for confirmation!

She groaned at the thought that she had been the one wanting the ceremony here. Las Vegas was looking better and better right about now. She wondered how Joe was doing. He was not looking forward to advising his fellow officers that there was no room to invite everyone, or anyone.

Joe had asked Mooch to be his Best Man but Sophia had not made her choice. She really wanted to ask Stephanie since she had introduced them to each other but she hesitated. Steph was just being discharged today and she was feeling that it was too much, too soon to make her take on the responsibility as Maid of Honor.

Sophia sat down with a cup of tea at the house. Her mom had seen the dress and the accessories and Sophia was already planning what the borrowed would be and maybe even the blue. Tradition dictated that the blue would be the garter that Joe would toss, but with such a small gathering, was that done?

She broached the subject carefully.

"I'm still thinking who I should ask to be my Maid of Honor. Not having any sisters I suppose I could ask my cousin, Emma, but I just really don't want her in the wedding party. She's a bossy boots at the best of times and I just don't need the drama. The person I really want is just coming out of the hospital right now and I don't think I should load something like this on her."

She toyed with the handle of the tea cup, turning it round and round in the saucer. She could ask one of her nursing comrades and she started to methodically go through them, picking who whe wanted. She kept coming back to Stephanie though. Stephanie who had been through so much and had such an positive outlook on life. Stephanie who had seen past the outer shells of both she and Joe and had reasoned that they would make a good couple together.

Once again she wondered why Stephanie and Joe had never taken it further. She had heard rumors that he wanted a stay-at-home wife and lots of children. Well, if that was the case, he was going to be disappointed! She had all the intentions of continuing to work, even part-time after children if they were blessed with them.

She also wanted to fully contribute to household expenses and expected that he was going to do his fair share of the housework. She smiled thinking of Joe, wearing an apron, vaccuming!

Natalie Antonio watched her daughter with a slightly lifted eyebrow and a quirk of a smile. Her daughter was a delight and her emotions were always giving her away and whatever she was thinking of right now seemed to be making her quiver in a few 'interesting' places.

Sophia put down the empty cup and saucer and prepared to leave. She was on a shift for twelve hours and needed to get moving. Two more shifts and she had ten days off. She wondered where Joe had made plans to go after the wedding. He had refused to tell her, just mentioning that sunscreen and a cute bikini were needed, or not!

As she walked out the door toward her car, she could see the bevy of gardeners at work and looked back at her mom. So much for minimal effort!

~~~o0o~~~

Les drove to the hospital and parked in the short-term parking. He had the information on Stephanie's discharge and Rangeman's billing account number for the extras over and above the amount. In all the times they had used any hospital services, there were always 'extras' that were not covered and Bobby had made sure he had the entire package of information and numbers handy.

Finishing with the business office he headed up to the floor. He stood at the door and rang the bell, speaking into the phone about his business. He mentioned that he was there to escort Stephanie Plum and had her discharge papers ready.

The door buzzed open and he walked in. After confirming that everything was complete he was escorted down to her room.

The door to her room was open and he stood there, watching quietly as she packed up her few possessions into a rolling suitcase that had been dropped off.

Stephanie turned around, feeling that she was being watched and her eyes changed almost instantly from practically lifeless to one of happiness and excitement.

She practically danced over to him and putting her arms around his neck, she pulled his head down and gave him a kiss.

Stephanie stepped back and spoke.

"I told you I would give you a kiss when you returned that would make Ranger jealous. Was I successful?"

Les looked down at his boots and nodded.

"Beautiful, I can feel my toes still smoking. I think I need to change my socks!"

He pulled her over to a chair and sat down, pulling her onto his lap. He felt relatively safe that Ranger would not be standing in the door watching or calling him to the mats.

"I just got in and you are the first person, other than the ones on shift at Rangeman that I have seen. Yes, Beautiful, I phoned Mom and told her I was safely home and I'm heading there this weekend. I hear that she's phoned the family and it appears there'is a party to welcome me back."

He watched as she digested the information. Stephanie had attended a couple of Manoso/Santos parties in the past and they were very vibrant affairs. Lots of food, lots of children running around, and lots of fun.

He could see the sadness just sitting on the perifery. She had looked so much more confident when he left, albeit quite weak, but now she looked much stronger, but back to the state when she had been locked down at Rangeman during the second round of the Slayers and June.

He hoped that whatever was troubling her would be recified and she could gain that spark again. He missed his friend.

He pulled the little dromedary keychain out of his pocket and held it out.

"I brought it back to you Beautiful. You have no idea how many times I would pull it out and think of you and hoped that you were getting better. I had a couple times where I was ready to say Fuck It and head home but this little guy made me buck up and finish the job."

He tried to put it into her palm but she shook her head no.

"My Grandma Mazur brought that back from the only trip she and my Grandpa took. They spied it in a little artisan stall and noticed that one eye had a lash and one didn't. I never asked why they thought it suited me, but I treasured it. I was hoping it would bring you back to us. I want you to keep it and pass it on to someone who you think really needs it to get them through a tough time."

He looked at it and put it back into his pocket.

He pushed her off his lap and stood up. It was time to get out of there. He didn't like the atmosphere. It was depressing him, and he wasn't even admitted.

"Let's get outta here, woman!"

Pulling the suitcase behind him and holding her hand with his other, they exited the room and down the hall. A couple of staff wished her well and waved as they headed out the door and down the elevator to the truck.

Les helped her sit in the passenger seat, put the suitcase in the back and ran around, jumping into the driver's seat.

He pulled out and drove away, watching as she looked at the building through the side view mirror. It looked like she was happy to be leaving that place.

He took the long way home, with the radio off in case she wanted to talk, but it was silent. He could see her starting to worry and he put his hand overtop hers on her leg.

"Beautiful, everythings going to be OK. If you are worrying about the guys, most of us have been treated for PTSB at least once. As you know, we have seen a lot and have experienced some things that are certainly left unmentioned, and we all know that we are all only one step from going down that dark tunnel once again."

She looked at him and shook her head.

He thought about what he should say next.

"If you are worrying about what Ranger will say or think, don't. As his cousin, I've spent a lot of time with him and I know in my heart that he has feelings for you, but will step back and let you get back on your feet."

She shook her head and looked away, trying to hide the tear making its' way down her cheek. He may have loved her and she certainly had loved him, but there was no way that she was going to make a fool of herself again. He was her boss and while she had very few options at the present time, nothing he said or did now would change that he had once again forced her to do something completely against her will. She was on a mandatory treatment plan but that would end when she was deemed 'well' and she would assess her life plans after that.

They turned the corner and the large Rangeman building came into view. Stephanie's eyes took on a very scared look and she tried not to shudder.

Les once again put his hand over hers.

"My apartment is next to yours and you can knock on my door anytime. We'll take it slow and you will have choices this time, I promise Stephanie. That was partly our fault. We forget sometimes you were not army."

The metal gate opened slowly and Stephanie could see Bobby waiting for them. He had a smile on his face and she relaxed just a bit. He was not the enemy.

The truck stopped and he was at the door before Les had put it in park, opening the door and holding out his hand to help her out. He gave her a gentle hug and left Les to grumble as he followed behind with the suitcase that he was not a valet and he wanted to hold her some more.

The elevator was open and waiting and the light for four was already lit. It rode smoothly without stopping and the doors opened to the floor.

Bobby pulled gently and she walked almost timidly down the hall. He gave her a key fob and she opened the door to her new space.

Inside she could see that someone had been in there and some of her possessions from her old apartment were already sitting out. Cushions and pictures and a throw that her Grandma Mazur had crocheted when she had stayed at her place adorned the couch. She could hear a wheel squeak and walked toward the galley kitchen to find that Rex and his cage were sitting on the counter. His little feet were making the plastic wheel fly as he raced along. It was usually his naptime but he stopped and headed over to the edge of the enclosure to let her see him.

She spied a little tub and opened it finding some hamster crunchies. Taking one, she lifted the cage door open and made to put it in his dish when he grabbed the snack and then gave her a bite.

"I missed you too," she said and closed the little door.

Les and Bobby watched as she took a look around. It would do for awhile.

On the kitchen table was a sheet of paper and she drifted over to it.

There was a schedule drawn up when she would be working for the first couple of days. Until it was deemed medically safe to take a full shift, she was on half-time and to come see Tank when she had finished moving in.

At the bottom in his strong handwriting he had written.

**Glad to see my best needle-in-the-haystack searcher back. **

**Tank**

She put her hand on the sheet and sighed. Strong and not mushy.

She turned back to the two men standing by the door and tried to smile. She would try.

Stephanie hung the clothes from her suitcase into the closet. Already sitting on some hangers were complete sets of Rangeman uniforms. Her boots were polished and sitting on the mat inside the closet.

She finished unpacking and put the suitcase in the back corner, closing the bi-fold doors. She made the bed with the sheets that were neatly folded and laying on top of the comforter. Stephanie fondled the soft sheets, recognizing the orgasmic million count sheets that Ranger used.

She looked at her Rangeman-issued watch and noted that it was meal time up on five. She had noticed when grabbing a glass for her water to down her pills that Ella had obviously put some supplies in the cupboards and the fridge. No tasty cakes or sugary sweets, but sitting on the top shelf of the fridge was a plate with a dome over the top. There was a note on top and Stephanie recognized Ella's writing.

Looking around she figured that whatever else she needed to do could wait. Her eyes drifted to the fridge and opening the door she reached for the plate and the note. Taking off the dome she noted that there was a delicious looking dessert. Taking the plate out of the fridge she grabbed a fork and sat down at the table to try it. She read the note as she chewed her first forkful appreciably.

_Stephanie Dear - this fits in with your dietary requirements but I wanted to welcome you back. Drop in for coffee when you have time._

_Ella_

She sniffled. People were being so nice to her and she didn't know how to repay their kindness.

There was a knock at the door and she stood up to answer it.

Les was standing there with his hand raised to knock again. He stepped in and spied the dessert crumbs on the side of her mouth. Before she could stop him, he had slithered past her and headed to her snack. She chased after him and pulled the plate out from under the raised fork.

"That's my Welcome Back snack, Santos. Not one bite, not even one. You can get your aunt to give you something but this is mine!"

Les groaned. He knew which dessert that was and it was a favorite.

He put down the fork and crossed his arms over his chest, making Stephanie take a sharp breath and step back. Les noticed the change in expression and his face softened immediately.

"I came to escort you to the break room for supper. I heard that Ella made stew with dumplings and a fruit parfait. I have no idea how she got that past Ranger but I want to be there before he hears about it and I came to grab you."

Stephanie considered her options. Supper upstairs with the men but Les would be there providing support or making and eating something here in the apartment. So far the only thing that looked good was the dessert and she didn't want Bobby tut-tutting her so soon after her arrival.

She grudgingly put the dessert back in the fridge and covered it once again with the little dome, then closed the door with a snap.

Taking Les by the arm, she dragged him to the door and out, closing the door solidly behind her.

"I'm watching you and if you so much as try to sneak back into here and look at my snack, I'll hunt you down like the criminal Morelli thinks you are."

Les smiled as he escorted her to the stairway. He had noted a small spark of emotion and it was good. He would let Bobby know.

~~~o0o~~~

Ranger ate his meal on seven wondering how Stephanie was handling the first day back at Rangeman. He had purposefully stayed away from wherever he thought she might be and he vowed to keep as far away as possible for awhile. It was better to let the rest of the Core Team handle the situation and anyway, he was so busy that it would not appear to be suspicious.

He had a meeting with his financial advisor scheduled for tomorrow and he looked over the paperwork he would be presenting.

On paper, it looked like a solid deal but he wanted to bounce it off him.

So many personnel from the forces were either mustering out or were being released that he had the pick of the cream of the crop for new employees and the company in-box was filled everyday with new applications. Some they had rejected immediately and some were being seriously considered.

Tank was the expert on that. He had ears in all branches who could give a quick or a detailed recommendation or rejection as needed. Rangeman had had a few bad apples slip through the cracks but for the most part, men were mostly trained in what Rangeman specialized in before they ever stepped foot in the conference room for an interview.

His branches were bursting with valuable employees and rather than reduce the hours, he felt the need to expand his business. Security was the in-word right now and every business, celebrity wishing protection services or individuals and companies alike were vying for them. They had never advertised medially for any of it. Their reputation was being talked and inquired about by word of mouth alone.

He had three cities to look over. One was in Virginia one in Texas and one in Hawaii.

Obviously it would be a plum assignment if Hawaii came on-line but Ranger was not banking on that destination any time soon. Notwithstanding that wearing black in that climate would be difficult, it was very, very far away from the other branches and while it might be interesting to set one up there to combat the rising commercial crime, drawing from other branches in extreme times of need would be difficult. He mentally put it at the bottom of the pile with the idea that if more branches were opened up on the west coast, it might be considered.

Texas was also a possibility. There was enough illegal activity heading back and forth across the border to the southern hemisphere that his people interested in tracking and apprehending would be kept very, very busy. Of course there was the danger involved, but most of his men were not afraid of getting their hands dirty. It would be a quick flight from Miami to serve as back-up, but Ranger wondered if they should fill-in-the blanks a bit more before contemplating a branch there.

Last, but certainly not least, Virginia. While it was not a mecca for ne'er do wells or gangland crime sprees, it was becoming an up and coming hub for white collar crime. To the casual observer, quaint and calm Virginia was a paradise just waiting to be molded into a sleepy hotspot of crime.

Ranger closed the file folder as his cell phone rang. It was the control room with an automatic alert of a major customer's alarm going off.

Pushing back the chair he jumped to his feet and headed out the door, the rest of his supper left to cool.

He met Tank just climbing into his vehicle and they sped off, following the back-up patrol down the road.

There were already flashing lights and the outside sirens of the business shrilling their attention-seeking noise still blaring carried for blocks around.

Here had been an unsuccessful raid on a medical supply storage building and as they came around the corner could see a hole as big as two large men side by side in the wall. One man was laying on the ground already cuffed and one other lay groaning against the wall. The EMT's were tending to him as both police and Rangeman stood guard.

He was only slightly injured and after the EMT's nodded their consent he too was cuffed and led to a police car.

The owner of the building was standing back looking at the situation and his phone was at his ear and he was gesturing wildly.

Ranger and Tank walked toward him and waited for him to acknowledge their presence.

He hung up and shook his head.

Ranged walked over to him while Tank stood back, watching the rest of the proceedings.

"I just can't believe it. How did they know that we were receiving a large shipment of Oxycotin in this afternoon. It's never processed under that name and it came by the usual courier company."

He shook his head and looked again at the damage.

"I've already contacted a construction company and they're sending over a crew to make temporary repairs but they won't be here until tomorrow. Unfortunately there's still a hole in my building and I have a lot of medical supplies that are not in a safe condition at the present time."

Ranger nodded.

"I will have a heavy security crew here immediately who can provide protection to your building and contents. Rangeman is responsible for the safety of the building and it is a service we provide under your protection plan."

He nodded to Tank to come closer and after giving the details of the need, Tank moved away, his phone at his ear.

With all the protective eyes of both the TPD and Rangeman in attendance it appeared that there would be no attempt to further damage or make off with anything inside and the owner visibly relaxed.

He looked around as he heard a loud noise come down the street.

Rangeman had recently purchased a Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicle and it carefully drove up to the side of the building with the hole and parked almost touching the wall.

The top opened up and Les popped out.

"Jeez Ranger, you never told me you got one of these. I'd have gotten home sooner if I'd known."

He grinned as he jumped down.

He ran his hands over the little machine lovingly.

"You took off the chain gun?"

Ranger gave him a look and he shut up. They would discuss it later in the safety of Rangeman without any listening ears.

Ranger looked at the owner for his opinion.

The vehicle covered the hole and nothing could be seen or any way somebody could get in around this piece of armor.

The owner just stood with his mouth hanging open like a big mouth bass, but he quickly recovered.

"I think that will do nicely, thank you."

He walked away to head into the office. He planned to stay the night inside his building until the repair crew could arrive and begin to make repairs.

Ranger and Tank climbed into the Hummer and took off. Les would stay and supervise the patrols and the men standing near the CRV.

It had been a long night and they drove back slowly, not speaking. Tank dropped Ranger off and headed to his house where Lula was waiting. She had promised to save him supper and she told him she had a special dessert that was for his eyes only. He had grown to love her desserts.

His lips tipped up. He wondered to himself why they had not consented to live together sooner. Life was so much easier under one roof. His kitties were being cared for by him and he was being cared for by his Lula Belle. What more could he ask for?

**A/N - for those who know or care, my 'little' CRV, as I have personally nicknamed it is Canadian. I couldn't find one small enough in the US to suit my purposes. Yes, Ranger has contacts here too!**

**(Author wonders how he got it there. Canada Post?)**

**Myrna**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you Janet for continuing to allow us to use your characters. All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 16

Stephanie stepped onto five for her first shift. She had drawn a ragged breath as she stood by the stairwell door. She needed to collect herself to look calm as she walked out into a room full of tough, scary men who probably knew everything that had happened to her. They were, after all, security experts and a little footnote saying that she had spent time in a psychiatric assessment unit would not have gone unnoticed.

Her palms were sweaty as she turned the handle. She pulled the door open and tried to remain calm as she stepped through into the control room, under orders to see Tank first.

She tried to walk with confidence to his office feeling a few eyes glance at her. She spied his door open and stood on the threshold waiting for him to look up. She didn't want to bother him if he was busy and Tank was always busy.

He was always aware of his surroundings and smiled as he stood up. Tank strode over to her and wrapped her in his arms, giving her a gentle hug then guided her to a chair in front of his desk and moving back around to sit in his.

"Welcome back, Little Girl. Until Bobby clears you for full-time, I have you on a reduced shift to build up your stamina. I thought I would start you off slow so you can get back into the rhythm. We've got some files for you to do some searches on. The programs are basically the same except for some upgrades so if you have a question any of the guys can help you.

He looked at her. Last time he had just plunked her down at a new work station near him thinking that it would help to have her near in case she had problems but he realized that he had never explained his reasoning.

"I had the extra crap cleared off your old cubicle if you want, or you can have one closer to me. I had one set up near me if you had questions or finished those files as fast as you normally do and it would save you a lot of steps going back and forth."

He watched as she mulled over the possibilities. He had had a few bad moments remembering that he too had left her with no options in the past. He was used to ordering men around as if everyone was still in the army. He had taken the time to reassess his actions and was attempting to give the men options when he could now. He had noticed the quirked eyebrows but could see that they appreciated the new procedures. Nothing had been said because tough men were wired that way.

Sure, he could still bark with the best of them and his bite was even worse than his bark, but he was trying his best to improve the working environment. Like it or not, having Stephanie in their midst had changed them all, and some for the better.

Stephanie scrunched up her face as she thought.

Being near Tank meant being near Ranger. Sitting away from the men would give her time to get used to working around them again. Being in a cubicle away from the men but closer to the break room and Ella's snacks would be handier but her appetitie was not all that strong yet. Being back in her cubicle meant being near Les, who she felt safe with. But, he loved to play jokes and pranks on her and the possibility of small projectiles sailing over the soft wall and landing on her desk meant she needed to stay alert. Hmmm.

She looked up at Tank.

"I need to get used to being around everyone again so I might as well start now."

He stood up and once again taking her by the elbow escorted her to her spot, both smiling and grimacing to himself. She was taking responsibility for her actions but how much of not wanting to be in the cubicle near him was influenced by the fact that Ranger's door was next door to his door?

She could only shake her head at the files already in her in-box and settled down. Had someone put some in either box waiting for her to make a choice? She decided not to check, believing that the men had seen them heading their way and someone had quickly dumped their yucky ones in her box. Turn about was fair play here and she would find out.

Stephanie stopped her thoughts. She had gone from feeling uncomfortable in the presence of those she had previously called friends to wanting to get someone back for filling up her in-box so soon. She felt a spark of life and It felt good to be back.

Her ipod was still sitting in her desk drawer and she pulled it out hoping that the battery was still good. Sticking the buds in her ears she hit play and pulled a file toward herself.

It was an easy one and she put it to the other side of her desk, and grabbed another. That too was easy and she relaxed getting back into the rhythm.

Her stomach rumbled and she looked at her watch. It was time for a snack and one of her stupid pills so, unplugging herself she stood up and stretched.

Steph walked to the break room for something to snack on all the while remembering Ella's notes on what her food options were.

She had her head stuck in the cooler when she heard footsteps behind her and backed out with her treat. It was Michael, an employee who had transferred some time ago from Miami. He stood with his arms crossed in front of him and spoke.

"Well, isn't it psycho girl, back to cause mayhem and trying for sympathy."

Stephanie's face tried to stay blank but her heart thudded. Was this the prevailing opinion now and everyone had just been nice to her in front of Tank?

She didn't say a word but put her yogurt on a table and walked out, fighting tears as she headed for the stairwell and her apartment.

She didn't hear or see as two men raced into the break room and proceeded to take turns turning Michael into a bleeding, moaning punching bag until both Ranger and Tank pulled everyone apart. Bobby came in with his bag and after a quick look-see, nodded that Michael was to be dragged down to the infirmary for some much needed clean-up. He was not promising to be careful in his examination and he could tell by just one look at Ranger that one Michael London would be divested of all Rangeman insignia, issued possessions and his belongings would be packed up and waiting for him to leave the employment of Rangeman immediately and forever.

There was a soft knock on the apartment door and Stephanie stilled her tears. Maybe they would go away and give her time to pack up.

No such luck as the knob turned and in walked both Bobby and Les. They momentarily fought with their eyes who was going to give her a hug first and wound up just turning her into the middle of a sandwich between them.

Her tears had stopped but her heart hurt.

They guided her to the couch and everybody scrunched onto the surface designated for two but now sitting three.

Bobby spoke.

"He's gone, Steph. He won't be back. After cleaning him up he was booted out the door with his possessions and will never step foot in any Rangeman building again. His opinion is certainly not shared by others here and the guys upstairs are feeling really bad what happened."

He stopped and Les then spoke as he rubbed his hand up and down her arm, almost comforting them both.

"I was on monitors and as soon as we saw and heard what he said and you left, there was a stampede to the break room to defend you, Beautiful. Cal and Binkie beat us all there though and it took both Ranger and Tank to get them to stop trying to literally kill him."

He grimaced in spite of himself. He had also seen the camera rolling of Tank and Ranger taking their own aggressions of the episode out on each other in the gym and they too were now recovering in their offices with bruises and ice bags.

Stephanie was silent the whole time. What had started out as a good day was rapidly deteriorating into a very bad, bad day.

They could feel her literally turn to mush between them and could sense when she fell into a troubled sleep, leaning her head against Bobby.

They sat there unwilling to jostle her and make her jump up in confusion. Their eyes conveyed complete conversations without saying a word. This could be a problem. It had been discussed about a set-back emotionally but by staying and providing some comfort they hoped to lessen the shock. Unfortunately there would be people who harbored that opinion and it was not good timing that it happened the very first day.

She stirred and her voice was soft.

"Thanks guys for coming. I knew it would not be roses and candy and I need to steel myself that there are people here who believe what he said. You need to get back to work and I need a shower. I see it's late enough that my shift would have finished anyway, so I'll just hang out here and make myself something to eat and head to bed early."

Both men grudgingly got to their feet and looked back at her sitting so forlornly still on the couch. Unfortunately they did have to leave and relieve the men who had nodded at them to go but they were worried. Having just come out of the hospital, her coping mechanisms were not set yet.

They reached over the couch and each gave her a kiss on a cheek before walking out.

Stephanie sighed. It was as she expected. She was branded as a nut case and always would be thought of as such. She was only deluding herself that she could just step back in and go on with her life. She wondered if the Burg knew and how they would react. Well it would get out, it always did.

She had her shower and a peanut butter and olive sandwich, not caring that Ella had cautioned her that that was for special occasions only. Well it was.

She wrapped herself in the comforter from the back of the couch, feeling the comfort that her Grandma Mazur had made it just for her. She tried to channel some positive thoughts into the day and push back the bad.

She knew who her friends were. Cal and Binkie, Les and Bobby. She thought about Tank and Ranger beating themselves up over her. Was it because she was being targeted as an employee or that they were so angry that someone had even dared to express their real feelings. She mulled over the possibility that they hadn't come down themselves because Les and Bobby were already here. She hoped that in time she could add others to her list but right now her heart was bruised from today's return to reality

She climbed into bed and fell asleep, not moving as the apartment door opened quietly and a figure slipped in. He sat down on a chair and watched his Babe sleeping, noting that she was restless and crying in her sleep. He wanted to slip into bed and cuddle her to him, but he stilled his movements. Was she restless bcause he was there, or the situation earlier.

He sat and watched and, as she finally settled down he slipped back out the door. He did not notice that both Les and Cal's doors were ajar.

~~~o0o~~~

Joe was fielding some serious grief from his fellow police officers. They were not being allowed to come to the wedding? They had been comrades in arms for so long and he was only having immediate family?

There was a chilly silence as he walked into the briefing room. He shrugged his shoulders and knew their noses would be out of joint for awhile until something else set them off. They had joked that the Italian Stallion had finally been caught and his leash must already be choking him if married life was going to be starting out without the benefit of his friends and co-workers there to wish him well.

Joe headed to his office and closed the door. In his heart he just knew they should have flown to Vegas and defrayed all this running around. It would have been done and over and he would be living with his wife and... His lower region ached with the thoughts of a wedding night still to be experienced and he had to shift a number of times in his chair. Damn it was hard, or maybe he was.

~~~o0o~~~

Sophia received a priority call while she was at work. Her mother was on the line and she was sobbing. Her dad had just suffered what looked like a heart attack and they were rushing him to the hospital. She was in the front seat of the ambulance and the driver was running traffic lights and ignoring speed limit signs.

Sophia grabbed the edge of the desk as she felt herself lose her balance and the other nurse at the station looked at her with alarm.

Sophia hung up and turned around. Her face had lost all it's color and she was shaking. The other nurse placed a chair behind her and pushed her back into it, preparing to press her head down between her knees in case she felt like fainting.

"My father's had a heart attack and they're bringing him here."

A call went out and a replacement nurse stepped in to take over. Sophia had time to gather her thoughts and think enough to head downstairs to her locker to change into some street clothes and grab her purse. She would meet the ambulance and while she couldn't do active care she could at least be there for her mom and provide intermediary assistance.

She stood at the hospital emergency entrance as the ambulance pulled in. She saw the attendants pull out the gurney and race him into a room as the nurse pointed. Her mom followed right behind but the nurse put up her hand to stop her from continuing any further. She looked at Sophia and nodded her head to the waiting room and taking her mother's hand Sophia gently led her away. They would be notified as soon as the triage team had some news.

They sat waiting and noticed lots of people and equipment heading in and out of the room. The screen was pushed open and a stretcher holding their husband and father was wheeled out of the room and down the hall. The two women were on their feet and hurried after them hoping to at least see the man laying in the bed. Before they could hold his hand or give him a kiss the orderly pushed the gurney through another swinging door that said 'Authorized Personnel Only'.

There were a number of chairs by the door and once again they settled down to wait. Sophia stood up and headed to a vending machine, putting in change and receiving a coffee for her mother and a tea for herself. The wait continued.

The doors opened once again and the stretcher reappeared back to the triage room and they silently followed. Her father's face was a cruel shade of gray, concerning at any time, but especially now after some time had passed since he had fallen at home.

Sophia was pretty sure that they would be approached by the doctor fairly soon and tried to prepare her mother for whatever news he would be imparting.

"Mom, I'm sure that when they have an idea what they are looking at, we will be advised. It shouldn't be too long now and then he will be assigned a room and maybe then we can see him once he has been settled in."

Sylvia Antonio nodded. She had watched enough medical soap operas on tv that barring any catastrophe her husband would be admitted. She had taken the time to grab the medical information file that was always kept in the desk drawer of Emilio's office. He had impressed on her a number of times that it was very important that the file not leave the drawer because if it was needed, that was where a family member was to head to for the pertinent information.

The doctor on call stepped into the room. He nodded at Sophia, recognizing her as a hospital employee.

"Mrs. Antonio, your husband is resting comfortably and we are arranging for a bed to admit him. All the tests have indicated that your husband did in fact suffer a heart attack and while it is not considered a fatal event, he will be admittted into the hospital so that we can run further tests and decide on a treatment plan."

He looked at them as her mother had grabbed Sophia's hand and squeezed. She hung on every word.

"He will need to rest and recuperate with little to no stress. I spoke to your husband and he keeps mentioning that his daughter is getting married in a few days and he needs to get home to finish the plans. Unfortunately, this is stress and while I cannot advise you to maybe postpone your nuptials, might I suggest that whatever plans he is adamant on to be completed be altered."

Sophia shook her head and stood up.

"Excuse me doctor, but I need to speak to my fiancée. The plans can be changed and I for one would never forgive myself if he suffered another set-back because of our upcoming wedding."

She stepped away leaving the doctor to speak to her mom and pulled out her phone. She needed to talk to Joe right away.

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie woke up and stretched. She had had a restless night to start, but obviously she had relaxed because she felt fine this morning.

Showering and dressing, she was ready to start the day. Tank wanted her for some time in the morning today since they would be short staffed for a few hours.

She made her way up to five again and stepped out of the stairway, trying to stay as close to the wall as possible. The men were just returning from the morning meeting and were beating a path to the break room in a mad scramble for coffee and late or early breakfast as need be. She followed the rush and found herself in the buffet line where the delicious smells of breakfast wafted through the air.

She looked at the oatmeal with distaste but dutifully took one of the bowls sitting beside the large crock pot and scooped some in. Next she added some cut up fruit, enough to disguise the conglomeration in the bottom, and balancing the bowl and spoon in one hand she stood in line for a life-saving cup of coffee to be held in the other.

She looked around at the tables for an open chair, noting that more than one of the men were waving at her to sit with them. Smiling, she picked a spot near the door and sat down beside Cal who was just finishing up.

He shuffled his chair a little bit more to the side offering her a few extra inches to slide in and sit down without having to twist her body around his muscular skeleton that seemed to take up a bit more of the chair than allowed. She had observed over the years that she had worked there that most of the men did the same thing when someone came near, believing that they overlapped enough to make it necessary.

She noticed his bruised knuckles and couldn't take her eyes off them. He noticed and put a bruised hand over hers and spoke.

"Nobody hurts my friend and gets away with it, Angel. And no, I'm not in trouble."

She looked up into his eyes and nodded.

She poked at the mess in front of her and frowned slightly. She knew that Ella had probably hidden all kinds of healthy nutrients in the oatmeal but the thought of eating that had completely turned her off to breakfast and she continued to toy with the contents.

Cal laughed at her expression.

"Ella usually tries to chop up the leaves and twigs before she cooks it, so we won't have it showing between our teeth out on patrol."

She looked at his laughing eyes and smiling grimly, took a small spoonful and put it to her mouth. With a bite of fruit it didn't taste as bad as her moms had on cold and wintery mornings and she finished it with only a few more grimaces and sighs.

Cal prepared to leave, putting his dishes in a pile and looked at her.

"I have some time this afternoon and scheduled you for some gym time. We're going to take it really slow, Angel but I want to get a handle on your fitness level. I like that while it is only a flight, you are taking the stairs and that is huge since before you tried to earmark the elevator for your use only. Just in case, I put it in your calendar as a reminder."

He stood up and before taking his dishes, he gave her a quick kiss on top of her head then strode off to the large rubber containers and placing his dishes there, walked out the door.

Stephanie finished her breakfast and coffee and following his example, putting the mug in one bin and the bowl and utensils in another.

She walked out and headed to her cubicle to see what was lurking in her in-basket today.

Sure enough there was a tiny flashing symbol on her computer screen with her reminder. Cal had written down that he wanted her in shorts and a t shirt and sturdy runners for his assessment.

She got to work with the first file, finding the information she wanted fairly easily. On to the next and the next. Her stomach rumbled and she looked at the clock on the bottom of the screen. She had been working for a full two hours without a break and realized that she was stiffening up.

She shut down her computer and headed to her apartment to stretch out. Bobby had still cautioned her to take her breaks.

Kicking off her shoes, she lay down on the bed, unconsciously rubbing the scar on her chest. She rarely looked in the mirror now as she dressed until the scar was covered up, preferring to go into denial land that her days of wearing a tiny bikini at the beach were over.

Her eyes opened and she realized that she had fallen asleep instead of just laying there and prepared to get up. Looking at her watch she had completely missed lunch served in the break room and mentally went over her possibilities.

Ella had stocked a number of quick meals in the freezer for her use and pulling out one, she popped it in the microwave to heat. She had already had her pb and olive sandwich for special occasions and another one today was going over the limit. While it had lots of protein, it would be sure to stir up her cholesterol.

She sat down to eat her meal of chicken, vegetables and rice, grimacing slightly that Ranger ate this kind of food all the time and from the looks of it, she would be too.

Cleaning up, she headed back into the bedroom and changed into her gym gear as Cal had requested.

She walked out the door and headed to the gym on three. He was already there, similarly dressed in shorts and t and high topped runners that looked more suited for a basketball court than a gym. She couldn't help but admire the amazing six pack that all Rangemen sported nor the oversized thigh muscles. His skin tight shirt also displayed the muscles in his upper arms. He had that look that a woman would want to just run their hands over the muscles and check out the ridges.

She licked her lips at the sight of the athlete in front of her and Cal smiled.

She grimaced. "Out loud?" and he nodded. Her editor was obviously still at work on five and was leaving her here alone to manage.

He sat down on a mat and started to do some warm-ups and she joined him, not doing as many or as fast, but she could feel her muscles start to loosen up.

Next he guided her to a treadmill and setting it for a very low setting he gave her three minutes to gauge her breathing. At the end, Stephanie was dripping sweat and she was starting to gasp a bit and he watched her cool-down checking for recovery.

On to some light weights and some more leg work. Bobby had not authorized any kind of crunches or ab work since she had not been cleared for anything yet that would strain the stomach muscles and the chest.

They sat down in the middle of the mat at the end and Cal looked at his notes.

"Angel, you're in better shape than I thought. Taking the stairs and whatever you were doing in the hospital is helping you. I'll check with Bobby for confirmation before we get going but it looks like you can safely do most of a workout."

He looked at her as she lay on the mat. Her chest was still rising and falling a bit more than he was happy with, but she had not begged to stop. He put it down that she wanted to get better and rejoin as much of her prior life as she could.

He admired her drive and was surprised when she had dumped them all and had taken off, putting her in danger with her stunt at her parent's house. He had a niggling feeling that this was still the honeymoon period and she would rebel at some point.

Well, they all had had some setbacks in treatment and he remembered when he had been treated from his own personal time in hell.

Cal stood up and put his hand down to help Stephanie to her feet. They walked out of the room and headed to the stairway, running up the stairs trying to beat each other to the door and walked shoulder to shoulder down the hall to their apartments. He watched as she pushed her fob and headed in. The door closed and he continued to his own apartment, anxious for a shower before his night shift was to begin.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you Janet for introducing these wonderful fictional characters to our world. **

**I am not a trained therapist so please do not take this as approved therapy. I used this scenario and timeline for my story only.**

**All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 17

One day followed another and there was progress and there were setbacks. Cal was patient with Stephanie but it was obvious that she would only get so far in her fitness then she would falter and be resting for a day.

The men could see that her dream of a complete recovery was only a pipe dream and it saddened them. They were men of action and knowing that members of their own had taken their own lives when they had realized that they would never be able to function as they wanted, tasted bad in their mouth.

They watched as Bobby took her to appointments and to her specialist. She would return and hide in her apartment until she could get her emotions under control then immerse herself back in the files, hiding behind her ipod and burying herself in work.

Melanie had requested some meetings held in a Conference Room and while they were private, a number of men had asked Melanie if she ever did group sessions. She paused to think about it. Could it be that some of these men were also harboring symptoms and were covering them up?

She approached Ranger after a session for his viewpoint. He sat in his desk with her sitting in the guest chair and looked at her with his face blank. He seemed to have come to a decision and leaning forward, pressed a button on his keypad, typed a few words and then leaned back.

There were the sounds of boots moving rapidly toward the door, two knocks then the door opened and Tank, Bobby and Les walked in.

They all knew Melanie and nodded at her, standing with their backs to the now closed door.

Ranger spoke.

"It appears that Melanie has been receiving some requests from a number of the men to have a group session. We do have a counsellor on retainer but the fact that she is in the building with Stephanie, I wanted to bounce off an idea that she approached me with."

He nodded at Melanie to speak and she cleared her throat.

"I have been approached by a number of your men wondering if I ever took on group sessions and that if I ever considered it, they would like to attend. If you agree, I would like to schedule one and see how it goes. Besides the fact that it would be interesting to see how many show up, I think that Stephanie would benefit from the fact that a number of your men are walking around everyday with deep seated feelings of their own. If you are OK with this, I would like to try a one-shot and see where it goes. I don't want to get too deep but it might be interesting."

Ranger looked at the three and noticed that they were either shaking their heads or nodding in agreement.

Tank spoke up.

"I vote that we give it a try, but impress upon everyone that it is not a 'real' therapy session, just a get-together and chat. Might be interesting to see who shows up."

Bobby was shaking his head. He was more aware of some of the issues some of the men were carrying around and wasn't sure how many cans of worms might be opened up.

"I hate to be a wet blanket here, but trying something like this can snowball really, really quickly. It has taken Gerald a long time to get some of them to talk and if this goes south, it might take him forever to connect again."

Les was nodding his head.

"You have a very valid point, buddy, but at the same time I can see the value and if it was kept light and airy, who knows where it might go from there. I think Beautiful needs to realize that we all have been in some situations that we re-live now and then and its OK to ask for some help. The guys feel comfortable talking to Gerald when he comes for a visit, but the fact that Melanie is here might spur them to talk to him more in depth on their sessions."

Ranger nodded his head.

"Schedule one and let's see where it goes, but if it gets heavy you have the authority to shut it down before it gets serious."

He watched as the men filed out and Melanie left. He had checked the camera and as per usual Stephanie had taken off to her apartment to compose herself.

He had stayed on the periphery since she had shown no interest in him other than the fact that he was her boss. She was polite but firm. No, she would prefer not to have supper on seven, no she did not want to leave the building with him on an errand.

She had also given off the vibe that while she loved the guys for letting her be her, she was not interested in taking anyone further in a relationship in any way, shape or form.

Bobby sat in his office looking at Stephanie's file. For anyone else just walking around, Stephanie was performing satisfactorily in all aspects of her life. Unfortunately for Stephanie, she was barely hanging onto her health. Her blood pressure was starting to creep up, but on the positive side, her cholesterol was in the excellent zone.

Bobby checked on the tests for the Mitra Clip, truly believing that that would be her best bet. It was not the final nail believing that her heart function just needed a bit of help. A heart transplant was certainly a final step but she was not anywhere near that yet and hopefully never would be.

The tests were wrapping up but the results and decisions were still months, if not years away. He shook his head. He believed in his heart that she did not have years to wait.

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie sat at her desk with a file in front of her. The guys had made some notes but wanted her to take a look.

The construction company had repaired the damaged wall but neither the police nor Rangeman were any closer to finding the persons behind the attempted robbery. The two kids that had been caught in the blast were not talking and there had been only a few small tidbits of information to go on.

Stephanie sat with her feet on her chair and spun herself round and round. She had her highlighter in her mouth and her eyes were closed.

The guys recognized her thinking position at work and steered a wide path around her, letting her mind flow with different possibilities and scenarios. They glanced and watched with interest as all of a sudden she put her hand on her desk and slid to a stop. It was usually a signal that she had latched onto something and they smiled as her fingers flew over the keys, then sending things to the printer, then typing once again. Flipping through the papers once again she stabbed a page with her highlighter making a big yellow circle. They heard a soft, 'Huh".

Her fingers flew over the keys and she became a bit more excited as whatever information was coming back allowed her to type more and read with interest.

Her printer began to spit out more paper and she gathered it all together before standing up and heading to Tank's office.

He looked up from his own paperwork as she practically bounced into the room.

She placed the paperwork on his desk.

"Tank, I know you checked all the employees at that medical supply office, but did anyone check out the owner?"

Tank looked at her then pulled the paperwork toward himself. He quickly read what she had circled and a tiny smile peeked out.

He pressed a button and Ranger answered.

"Got a minute, Boss?"

Stephanie looked like she wanted to slide out the door but he stopped her with a look that would make strong men quake in their boots. She sighed and waited as the door next door opened and Ranger appeared in the doorway.

He walked in and gave a smile to Stephanie standing there. He walked to a chair and settled himself in it, stretching his long legs out and preparing to listen.

Tank looked at Stephanie and made a hand motion. It was her search.

Stephanie cleared her throat.

"The guys gave me some notes on what they had already dug into with respect to that attempted medical supply company break in, and I know that all the employees had been thoroughly checked out by both TPD and us. They checked out the courier and they were clean. They checked that the paperwork coming out of that company was always shredded at the end of each day, so nothing could come out that way."

She looked down then continued.

"I talked to a couple of the guys and they wondered why the owner was acting completely over the top the night of the break-in. We had stopped the break in before they had entered the building and taken anything. Two young guys were in custody although they admitted nothing. I wondered if there was something in his past or a member of his family who might have had some difficulty with a serious injury.

I found out that he has a nephew who was seriously injured while on a construction job a number of years ago and from all accounts he is looking at some pretty serious intervention at pain relief. They paid him out and it looks like he has no medical benefits to speak of and I kinda wondered if this owner was stepping in to give him a hand."

She looked from Tank to Ranger for some kind of signal that she was totally off base.

Ranger took a look at the notes and what she had highlighted and spoke.

"Babe, we wondered about his actions that night but some people are generally over the top if things happen."

He looked at her and his eyes protrayed his pride. Once again she had helped them to look in another direction.

Tank picked up all the papers and tapping them on his desk he put them into the folder.

"Little Girl, I have so missed your eye for detail and that spidey sense you possess. I'll get the guys back on it."

Stephanie nodded her head and turned around to leave the office. She thought she might be dreaming it, but she thought she heard a quiet, 'Proud of you, Babe' as she walked back to her cubicle.

She felt a tiny bit of ice fall away from her heart.

She knew that Ranger was not the enemy and with all the talks she and Melanie had had, she realized that he had and was doing everything he could to help her.

Melanie and Stephanie had come up with a plan. Would it be too much to meet in the middle? How about lunch in Ranger's office one day. A desk would separate them and it could be casual. One never knew. A real conversation might break out. Was it not worth a try?

She looked at the clock. Maybe he had time today.

~~~o0o~~~

Joe and Sophia sat in Rossini's having supper together. They were talking softly and there was a gentleness and understanding to the entire night out.

Her father had been discharged home a number of weeks ago and was recuperating slowly but surely under the expert care of her mother and the home care nurse. She could see in his eyes sadness that he had caused the young couple to delay their wedding because of him, but both Sophia and Joe had hastened to explain that six days to plan a wedding had been at the least, very ambitious and at the most, almost impossible to do unless one had a lot of help and time and luck. They knew they were meant for each other and they could wait, but until then, well they could continue to get to know each other more. Saying the vows, well, others were living together without the vows and while they continued to have two places, one stood empty most nights.

Joe tossed some bills on the table and stood up, walking around to assist Sophia to her feet. He felt a bit contrite remembering that he had never, ever taken Stephanie to any kind of restaurant other than Pino's for supper and had classed a date as pizza and beer with Bob between them in front of the tv watching hockey.

Now, he wanted to show Sophia off, with her arm in the crook of his and walking around town or the beach or anywhere in public. He had come to realize that while friends, he and Stephanie would never have been good for each other. Once again, he sent thoughts up hoping that Stephanie was out there accepting his thanks for introducing them to each other.

He wondered how she was doing. Nobody saw much of her since she rarely left the building except to have suppers at her parent's house once or twice a month. He had heard through the grapevine that her health was in a holding pattern but there was very little the doctors could do until she either completely relapsed with a heart condition or miraculously improved. Also miraculously there had been nothing about her emotional difficulties filtering through the Burg. It was almost as if someone or a number of someones had effectively squashed any idea of spreading rumors.

He looked at Sophia and his eyes softened. He now gravitated to her perfume, her hair shampoo and her body. He dreamed of her in his arms at night and waking up with her near him in the morning. His manhood twitched with anticipation. While Stephanie had been a very vibrant and willing partner in the bedroom, he wondered if that had been good enough for her. She had almost appeared to need someone more passionate.

While he would never confirm that Italian men, like the language flew along until you got that spark of intense heat, like a firework exploding in a dark night. They were like a flash in the pan that burned out until they are set off once more.

Latin men and the Spanish language on the other hand, was more of a smolder, the same level of heat but a long, slow burn; a seduction of the senses until that's all one felt.

Sophia whispered a few somethings in his ear and he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and run to his truck, racing home. He had his badge ready to defray any speeding ticket. She wanted him to do that to her again?

~~~o0o~~~

Les received a phone call. Veronica needed a favor and he would move heaven and earth to accommodate her.

He wanted to find Bobby to bounce an idea off him and then approach Ranger.

Bobby was sitting at his desk with a file in front of him and he had a tiny frown furrowing his forehead. He had just received the latest test results and the specialist had shared his concern. Stephanie was starting to backslide and without some kind of intervention health-wise she would be literally failing in front of their eyes soon.

He pulled up the new information on the Mitra Clip and as the printer spit out the research article, Les walked in.

He waved for Bobby to stay seated and plucked the papers out of the printer, only glancing at the top page as curious people do.

He stopped in his tracks, reading the title, then looked at Bobby. His face had drained of all color and Bobby jumped up ready to seat him and push his head between his knees. He hated to drag fully grown muscular men to an examining table and heave them up onto it, but he could if he needed too. Bobby was very strong and behind that kind and healing attitude was one tough dude with serious muscles.

Les continued to clutch the papers in his hand as he recovered.

"How do you know about this?" he asked as his eyes glanced back to the pages, wrinkling his brow as he glanced at the article.

Bobby looked down at the floor, then back up at his friend.

"Steph's sliding and that's an option that I found by digging around that might help. Unfortunately it's still in the testing stages and word is that it could still be months for sure or years until it's approved for use."

Les read the information again. He was sure that that clinic in Sweden was talking about this procedure.

He looked at Bobby and as he stood up and put down the papers on the desk said, "I'll be right back. Don't leave unless it's an emergency."

He took off out the door and practically jogged down to his apartment. Running was not allowed unless there was an emergency in the building and right now he didn't have time to be called on the carpet to explain his actions.

He hurried back and put a card on Bobby's desk.

"On the way home I diverted to a clinic to give something to a doctor from a little girl on the plantation I was working at. He is a member of a clinic in Stockholm and I think that they are performing this procedure there. I spoke to a family who brought their daughter for treatment from the US and were hoping that he would try implanting it. Their daughter had been hunting and was accidentally shot by her partner and it sounded like she had much the same damage as Beautiful."

He paused and looked at the card.

"He said that it would not be cheap but if I thought that the person I knew might be a candidate for it to call him."

Bobby took the card and walked back to his desk, sitting down and opening up a screen. His fingers flew over the keys and glancing quickly at the information on the screen, he hit a button and more paper came shooting out of the printer. Les stood up and was taking the papers as they emerged and as the last page slid out the bottom, he tapped the pages together on the top of the printer and handed them to Bobby.

Bobby took his trusty stapler and put a staple in the top left hand corner. He hated paper clips or small binder clips since he had had enough rogue pages hide behind other reports and the time spent looking for lost pages made him throw out everything except his trusty stapler.

They looked at each other and nodded. It might be a solution, and it was only money, right? Stephanie had never had more than two nickels to rub together but they had available funds. They had always joked that they could never take it with them and before they died they would donate the leftovers to some needy charity. But, would Stephanie want to be a charity case? That was the million dollar question.

~~~o0o~~~

Lula was as happy as a person in love could be. She loved her new place and she had even picked up a cat or two to talk to them occasionally. She made sure that the bedroom door was always closed but after some discussions that those were the new rules, the cats had resigned themselves that sleeping on Tank's pillow at night would no longer be an option.

She was vigilant in her weekly shots and was actually feeling much better for it. Lula was starting to believe that not only was she allergic to cats, but house dust, which would have been a problem since she didn't like doing housework at the best of times. The woman that Tank had hired was very efficient leaving Lula to work at the Plum Bail Bonds office during the day and still have time in the evening for other activities.

Lula had spoken to Stephanie on the phone and had tried to apologize for her outburst, but Stephanie had been polite but firm. She was not particularly interested in seeing a lot of people and would prefer to stay at Rangeman trying to pay back in effort some of the money spent on her care.

Lula shrugged her shoulders and continued on with her life. She had been in bad situations over her life and could understand wanting to roll up in a cocoon but time usually healed problems. Until then, she would be near her phone and continue to call and keep the lines of communication open when Stephanie was ready to talk.

Tank had mumbled that she and Ranger were both stubborn as hell. To himself he noted that while they were continuing the charade of employer and employee interaction only, he had caught on camera how many times Ranger had slipped into her apartment at night after she had retired for the night. He knew that Ranger had spent time sitting in a chair in her old apartment before heading out on missions trying to centre himself for the task ahead and wanting to see her one last time, just in case.

He also noted that Ranger had changed the angle on his desk just a few inches so that he could see her if he leaned back far enough in his chair. Tank just knew that there was still something there but what would it take to bring it back out?

He also thought that whenever Ranger watched Little Girl sleep at night, they both appeared to be more centred the next day. Talk about a mess. They needed each other like soap and water but acted like oil and water.

They had never spoken of leaving Stephanie behind if he failed to return from a mission, but as Tank had the latest updated copy of Ranger's will in his safe, he knew that she would be the recipient of a good portion of his cash and bonds if he failed to return. Tank would get the other half of the company and both Les and Bobby would share the properties around the world. Ranger had always provided that Julie would never be destitute and he had put in a provision that her money be held in trust until she was 21 with Stephanie as the manager of the trust fund.

They had talked about the fact that both Ron and Rachel would try to contest that in court, but he had taken extreme care with Jason to have it as rock solid as he could.

Tank, who was ever observant, could see that Stephanie's health was once again becoming cause for concern. Bobby never betrayed her trust but everyone was noticing that he was keeping closer tabs on her during the day.

He mentally chuckled at a memory.

Les, being that his cubicle was beside Little Girl's liked to toss things over now and then as she was working and there were some times that he surprised her enough that she would jump and swear at the interruption. Her eyes would narrow and instinctively, everyone who saw the exchange would literally take a step back, knowing that she would eventually be paying him back. Their pranks were legendary through the years and it was better to watch and enjoy than to intercede and risk the wrath of them both.

Stephanie had finally had enough when a number of flour-filled tiny balloons landed on her head, her desk and her keyboard one morning.

Hector was called to repair the damaged keyboard and as she was in the break room getting a snack, Les walked by. She pulled out her trusty stun gun and tagged him on the way past. His look of surprise as realization hit was comical in itself and signaled that she had finally had enough.

Les woke up to find himself in the gym, wearing only a set of gym shorts and a cup, courtesy of willing helpers. He was handcuffed to the ladders at the back wall used to attach the extra gym mats.

As he became aware of his surroundings, he noticed a number of buckets filled with water balloons in various colors and sizes. There were a large number of Rangemen waiting with grins on their faces and it appeared that there was some kind of cash table set up with Stephanie sitting behind it, taking money.

Realization dawned on him that he was to be the entertainment and he tried unsuccessfully to try to escape from the cuffs. He looked down at the large blue tarp spread out under his feet and for some distance around him and taped to the wall behind him.

He read a sign on the wall by the door.

_ $1 a throw_

_ No head shots_

_ Money going to support _

_ Veteran's Day Picnic in the Park_

_ and_

_ Heart and Stroke Prevention Society_

Written in marker in Ranger's familiar printing was an additional note:

_**Donations matched by Rangeman Enterprises**_

Stephanie was sitting there with a smile on her face and was cajoling the men that Ella and Luis were preparing more balloons. She waved a ten dollar bill at Les and spoke.

"And just because, I'm adding my own money. I'm taking you down, Santos. I played ball and I usually hit where I was aiming."

He shuddered. Ranger was now handing money to his Babe and they were smiling as she put the bills in her little cash box.

Les figured it was going to be a loooong day.


	18. Chapter 18

**I would just like to thank everyone for their thoughtful reviews. All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 18

Les hung up the phone. He was sitting in Bobby's desk chair and the conversation had been short. Dr. Olson was in surgery but he would return the call when he returned to his office.

Les looked at Bobby. He would talk first to him then let Bobby take over. He had the medical knowledge to pass on and while they were waiting they would wait for the referral note to be faxed from Stephanie's specialist.

They all agreed that until they had more information they would not let Stephanie know what was happening. She didn't need the drama if Dr. Olson didn't agree to look at her case file. That was the first hurdle. Getting the specialist to arrange for a referral had not been as difficult as they had imagined. Dr. Starzinski was keeping up with the literature on the Clip and already had Stephanie in mind. The fact that the medical community was dragging its' feet was not helping her case. While it was obvious that he would like to keep her as his patient he recognized the time frame was not in her favor and was willing to pass her on if she met the criteria.

The fax spit out the permission form and Bobby put it in the front of her file. It was becoming quite large.

They waited. Les had to go on shift in two hours.

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie sank down on the mat and wiped her brow with the back of her hand. She had finished her routine for the day and while she had done everything that Cal had asked, it felt harder today than ever before. She was trying not to head into denial land but the simple fact that her body was telling her that it was beginning to betray her hurt. She figured that Cal wouldn't be adding more to the routine any time soon.

Cal sat down with his back to hers and wiped his own brow. He could see the determination in her face as she tried but it was starting to be one or two less of this or that than before and it was not just whining and whimpering but utter exhaustion that was creeping in.

He tried to keep her spirits up saying that it might be the weather or her time of the month, or her looking at his muscular manly body that was sabotagging her efforts but today none of the excuses were working.

She slowly got to her feet to head to her apartment for a shower. She was scheduled for a shift on the monitors with Les in two hours and maybe she had time for a tiny nap first.

~~~o0o~~~

Joe was standing in the hallway as a number of beat cops were talking. He could hear something said about The Bombshell Bomber and couldn't contain his curiousity so he wandered over. The mens' backs were to him and they never saw him approach but Big Dog and Cal did and tried unsuccessfully to get them to stop talking but the pair were animated in their story and didn't see the warning signs.

Joe had heard enough and coughed. The two turned around and both stopped.

Joe spoke.

"I would make very sure that that story doesn't go any further than this hallway or we will be having another chat down in the gym."

The men scurried away like rats leaving a sinking ship and Joe looked at Big Dog and Carl.

"Why didn't you stop them? You know the story and up until now it's been kept quiet. I don't think she needs this with still battling her other medical condition."

They nodded and turned away. There had been the odd rumor that had snuck out that Stephanie Plum was under psychiatric care as an outpatient. Phone calls to the Plum household had garnered little to no information on the matter. The normal busybodies of the Burg had come up empty in their excitement to track down and report anything to do with her. The rumors had remained rumors and people had gone on to other juicy information.

Abigail Wadsworth's daughter was seen in the Walmart bathroom puking her guts out in a stall. While that might not have made any rounds, the fact that she had bought four pregnancy tests lent credence to the fact that Abby might be a grandma soon, and no son-in-law to blame or congratulate, as the case may be.

Joe headed to Sophia's place. She had offered to try some new recipes on him. She was a very, very good cook and even Bob the dog was looking a bit chunkier. Bob loved her and he loved her cooking and since he loved Joe and Sophia together had not chewed one piece of her furniture when he came over.

~~~o0o~~~

Melanie looked over her notes. She had had the mini session at Rangeman yesterday. She leaned back and remembered what had happened.

She had stood by her notes at the front of the room. She had no idea who or how many would arrive but planned with coffee and snacks just in case for a crowd.

She listened as footsteps headed her way. She strode to the door ready to shake hands and greet any who wandered in.

One trickled in, then another and another. Stephanie stepped in and looked shocked at how many there were.

Melanie closed the door and walked to the front. She looked around at the men, most who had previously approached her.

"Welcome and thanks for coming. I want to just say right off-the-bat that this is more of a meet-n-greet. I know you know each other well, and I don't want this to turn into a full-scale counselling session. That's what your own professional counsellor and you should be discussing.

What I want to do is just to remind everyone that you have a buddy who you can turn to if you are having a bad day, for whatever reason. I want to also stress that if you are feeling down, for whatever reason there are things you can do. For example I see a fabulous gym downstairs and I know that most of you use it in the morning, but I checked and it's open 24 hours a day. There is something to be said for hitting that big scary punching bag in the corner. I also recommend yoga to clear your mind, or maybe even meditating in a quiet room. Some people call it vegging!"

There was polite laughter and Melanie smiled.

"I know that most of you have apartments in the building and taking your lunch break down in your room can be as relaxing as taking a shower or a bath.

Music is also relaxing, be it Chopin or Alice Cooper. To each his own, I suppose."

There was a guffaw of laughter at the mention of Alice Cooper and she grinned.

"It has been mentioned by my kids that I'm a little older than I look."

She glanced around.

"The first thing I want everyone to do is to turn to the people sitting next to you and shake their hand. We do this in my church every Sunday and I like to think that the person sitting next to you is a friend who you can depend on."

She watched as everyone shook one hand then turned and shook another. She was surprised that there were no fist bumps which some probably thought of as more manly.

She looked out. Everyone seemed relaxed and there was no tension showing in facial expressions.

She relaxed. It was light and airy as Les had said. Melanie wanted to keep it that way.

She had talked to Gerald, the company counsellor on retainer for his permission to do this as therapy for Stephanie. He had kept his thoughts to himself. She was well-respected and knew how to divert a problem. As a matter of fact, he was interested to hear how it went. He had wondered if he needed to change his tactics when meeting the men. Some appeared to have grown tired of his method.

Melanie looked at the men sitting down in front of her then glanced at Stephanie.

She had managed to contain her surprise that so many of her co-workers had arrived. It almost made her feel that she was not sitting out there on an island alone. She knew these men had been in scary situations with their Black Ops or Seal work and she had never heard a word from them. Stephanie had noticed that sometimes they would take themselves off-line and she had always assumed that they were visiting family or friends. Realization dawned that they might have put themselves in time-out situations. Melanie had impressed on her that everyone needed space to themselves some days but it was time to call in help if it became too heavy.

She had been meeting with Melanie for some time and they had agreed that she was ready to take the next step. Call when she needed a helping hand, or a listening ear, but she had her coping mechanisms now.

She was sleeping better at night and would wake up refreshed and ready to face the day. Stephanie had put it down to the dream catcher above her head at night.

Melanie spoke again to the hushed room.

"I would understand that some of you might have dreams and flashbacks from experiences in your past. My grandmother was full blood Ojibwe and taught me how to make a dream catcher. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, it is a small hoop with sinew laced in a design through the middle, almost like a spider's web. Legend states that if you hang it above your headboard on the wall, it will catch the bad dreams and be captured by the sinew in the middle and locked in its grasp only to disappear in the morning light. I personally have one in every bedroom in my house and while people scoff that it is only folklore, nobody has woken up from a nightmare in my house for a long, long time.

If you want to in the privacy of your own apartments, you can make your own, then hang it on the wall by your bed. Nobody needs to see it there unless you want them to. I have some different choices for decorations in each bag or you can put on your own. Maybe something from a family member or a lost friend. It is yours to make. Just to give you an idea, I enclosed a picture of one in my guest bedroom. There's a pile of brown bags on the table by the coffee and snacks. If we run out or you think someone would benefit from one, just let me know and I can easily make more."

She had put together fifteen hoops and wondered how many bags would be left.

It looked like a number of people wanted to speak but she didn't want to get into anything stronger than what she had said to start so she began to wrap it up.

"I am in the building on a regular basis and if there is interest, we could meet again. I stress that I am not stepping on other counsellor toes with this but we can meet and have fun."

She grinned.

"Who knows, next time I may have you lay on the floor and put your feet up on a chair. It's great for the back if you're pregnant or it can give you a whole new perspective looking up at the ceiling for a change."

With that, she gathered up her notes and walked to the door, opening it and walking out.

~~~o0o~~~

Les looked at his watch. He had to be upstairs in fifteen minutes and Dr. Olson had not called as yet. He felt sure that he had to make the first contact since he had been in the office, but it was cutting it close. Ranger and Tank had a policy that employees be early, rather than on time. On time meant you were late.

The phone rang and Les answered it ahead of his friend. He would pass it off if it was not for him but he was hoping. God, he was hoping.

There was a female voice on the phone asking for a Lestor Santos and Les confirmed that he was Mr. Santos.

"One moment please for Dr. Olson," and there was elevator music in his ear.

Les looked at Bobby and gave a thumbs up. He was standing up trying not to move around too much in case he accidently did something to break the connection.

"Mr. Santos, this is Dr. Olson."

Les gulped. He sounded tired and looking at his watch noted that it must have been a long day for him already.

"Dr. Olson. I spoke with you just a few months ago and brought you a present from Africa. You said that if my friend was in a position to need your services, and you wrote your number on the back of your card, that I should call. I'm afraid to say that she is starting to show some signs of deterioration. We have a medic on staff who has been treating her and if you agree, I will put him on. His name is Robert Brown."

Les handed the phone to Bobby and crossing his fingers for hope, practically ran out the door. He would be cutting it really, really thin and hoped that the bosses were not on the floor. On time was late.

~~~o0o~~~

Bobby took the receiver and cleared his throat.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Olson, or should I say Good Evening. Thank you for returning my friends' phone call. He is a very good friend of Stephanie Plum, the person he spoke of."

He waited.

Dr. Olson cut to the chase. He was a busy man and not really up to doing small talk this late.

"Do you have her file in front of you? Has her specialist been appraised that you are contacting me? Do you have his signed consent or just verbal? How long ago was the injury?"

Bobby answered most of the questions without looking at the file, but a few he had to page through for the information. Her cholesterol was good but her bp was starting to creep up and while she was being treated with diet at the present time, there was some question that meds might soon need to be prescribed.

How was her overall health? Was she exercising? Did she smoke? More and more questions.

Dr. Olson stopped talking and Bobby crossed his fingers. This was where he might tell him that she was flat out not fit for the Mitra Clip in his opinion and he was terminating the conversation. He might ask for the entire file to be sent with the permission for referral sheet front and centre. He might say that she was not sick enough yet or that there was a wait list lasting months before he could see her.

All those scenarios crossed his mind in just a few short seconds and he almost missed the next remark.

"I want to see everything that you have on her case. I cannot promise to go further, but her case intrigues me. As I had mentioned to your colleague, being as you are not Swedish my hands are financially tied. There would have to be some financial up-front funding if we forge ahead."

He gave a number to email the file and prepared to hang up but decided to impart a small nugget of information first.

"Mr. Santos kept an eye on a little patient of mine while she was recovering and I will try to help out a friend of his if I can. Rest assured, Mr. Brown, I will get back to you as soon as I can."

Dr. Olson hung up the phone and Bobby slowly pushed the end button and set it down on the desk. He sat in his chair and pondered what they were getting themselves into.

He thought of what account he could liquidate the fastest. He got the impression that Dr. Olson made decisions fairly quickly and demanded return service just as quickly.

~~~o0o~~~

Les was on monitors but there was no sign of Stephanie. Ranger walked onto the floor and looked at the empty chair.

"Who's on monitors with you Santos?"

Les kept his eyes on the screens that he had adjusted so that he could watch both sets at the same time.

"Beautiful's scheduled but she hasn't shown yet and I haven't had time to phone around looking for her."

Ranger pulled his phone from the holder and pressed a button. There was no answer and he hung up. He headed to the stairwell.

"I'll see if she's still getting ready in her apartment. She usually cuts it close but this is too long. Call me if she's taking the elevator and let her know that I do want to see her."

He strode to the stairwell door and opened it taking the stairs two at a time down to four. He walked out and headed for her door, pausing and knocking with his knuckles on the door. He waited but there was no response.

He put his ear to the door listening for a tv on too loud but hearing nothing, he pulled out his fob and overrode the system allowing him to enter.

He left the door open and walked in. It was silent but the door to the bedroom was closed.

Ranger walked to the door and silently opened it knowing from his frequent visits that it would not make a sound. It was dark but he could see a mound on the bed. It looked like she had taken a nap and hadn't set her alarm.

He walked over and gently shook her. There was no response. Ranger knew she didn't wake up easily but she at least changed her breathing and shifted. He shook her again. Nothing.

He pulled his phone out and pressed a button.

"Brown, I'm in Stephanie's room and I can't wake her. She was booked for monitors with Santos and he said she never showed. Get in here, we may have a problem."

Bobby grabbed his bag and was practically in the apartment before Ranger hung up. He raced into the bedroom and his stethescope was already around his neck. He pulled back the covers slightly and also tried to wake her calling her by her name.

He quickly checked her heartrate and her pulse with his hand on her wrist and a frown was on his face.

He looked at Ranger.

"Call an ambulance."

**A/N - so, this is a conundrum. Heads I post tomorrow, tails I wait until Monday. **

**Mwahahaha.**

**Myrna**


	19. Chapter 19

**Well, it appears heads won. Funny thing, not one tails! Thanks for following. All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 19

The cardiac waiting room was filled with men in black as Bobby stepped through the door behind Stephanie's specialist.

Having seen the men before on numerous occasions he headed straight to Ranger who was standing off by himself.

"We're doing some tests but right now she's exhibiting signs of a heart attack."

The room was quiet.

Cal was standing there and his legs almost buckled. He must have pushed her too hard; he didn't see the signs, and it was his fault.

Bobby was watching him and marched over. He got up close and personal in Cal's face and barked.

"No, I won't let you take the blame! You were making her stronger and right now, that strength is what's going to pull her through, Cal. That and her desire to continue."

He looked into his eyes until Cal nodded slightly.

Ranger watched the exchange and then turned back to the doctor.

"What can be done and how can we help?"

Dr. Starzinski looked around the room and settled on Bobby.

"If you have the phone number of that physician in Sweden, I need to consult with him directly. Her condition has changed and we probably don't have a lot of time to play with."

Bobby nodded and his phone was at his ear.

"Harold, there's a card in the front of Stephanie's file. On the back is a phone number. I need that number, now."

Bobby pressed another button and he barked, 'What?"

He listened and grumbled, "I'll meet them in Emerg."

Bobby hung up and looked at Ranger.

"Zack and Woody were just involved in an MVA. They have air bag injuries and are heading here. I'll just head down and check them out and get back."

He slipped through the door. Moments later Ranger received a text. It was the number for the Swedish doctor.

Ranger showed it to Dr. Starzinski. He nodded and taking a pen out of his lab coat lapel pocket, wrote down the number on the pad of paper he took from another pocket and then circled it twice.

"I assume you want your security detail in front of her room as per your usual procedure?"

Ranger nodded and looked back at Tank.

Tank looked around the room.

"Manny and Cal. First shift."

They nodded and headed down to the nursing station to introduce themselves and find out the room number where Stephanie had been taken to.

Tank looked around the rest of the room.

"Move out men. She's safe and under care. Send me a text if you want to be on the security detail. Volunteers only. Four hour shifts."

There was an immediate flurry as everyone was pulling out their phones and typing as fast as they could to get the first text to Tank. His lips made the tiniest smile as his phone started to literally jump in his hand with multiple texts fighting to get there first.

The men in the room waited to see who had the fastest fingers. Everything at Rangeman was a contest. Tank looked at Hal and he blushed. The battered trophy would sit on his desk until someone else wrestled it away.

Ranger stayed in the room with Tank after the room emptied.

"Les approached me for a favor. He wanted to know if I would release the plane for a long trip, but he gave no timeline. If we need to, can we outfit the plane for someone in Babe's condition for a trip?"

Tank pulled out his phone and made a call.

"James, can the plane be retrofitted for one, possibly two patients needing full medical?"

A quick response then, "How much lead time do we need?"

He hung up.

"James needs about five hours to get the permits updated and the equipment on board."

Ranger had already walked away toward Stephanie's room but Tank could tell he had received the message. His shoulders had that look as if he was already planning a mission.

~~~o0o~~~

Lula was dancing around her bedroom looking in the floor to ceiling mirror at her new outfit. She hoped Tank liked it, and loved it enough that it would be off her body almost as soon as he got home.

She had received good news from Jason, her lawyer. All the papers had now been finalized and she was essentially a free woman. While there would be a note placed on her file, no action was indicated that she would be refused travel outside out of the country or even out of state. She and Tank had been waiting for that special sheet of paper before they could get married. It was their choice to just have a small ceremony in say Vegas or Atlantic City and then a honeymoon.

She could hear her cellphone ring on the night table and danced her way over to it. She had changed the ring tone just that morning to the beginning of the song 'Wild Things' by The Troggs, signalling that her personal wild thing Tank was on the line.

She entered the password on her brand new smart phone and pressed the talk button.

Lula had picked it up on her way home. Rangeman only had black phones and she had bought this with her own money. The protective case was a very hot pink color and she was excited to show her man her new toy.

The guy in the store had shown her how to change ring tones and she was thinking of the different tones for her friends. She could just hear Hector growl as the nerdy salesman pressed some buttons on his computer stating that all her information was now transferred into the new phone. She wanted Tank to check later that everything was on the up and up and had impressed upon the guy that she wanted the old phone back.

"Tankie Bear, I'm in the mood to do some celebratin. Jason phoned and all the papers are signed and delivered. I'm a free woman. I went shopping and I hope you like what Imma wearing right now."

She was about to send a sexy purr down the phone line but stopped at the silence.

"What's wrong. I know there's something wrong. Are you hurt, is someone at Rangeman hurt, did a take-down go bad?"

Lula was speaking so fast that Tank had no hope of stopping her and calmly waited her out.

"No Lula Belle, I'm fine, but Little Girl is in the hospital. They think she suffered a heart attack and are doing tests right now."

He waited as her voice went from excited to concerned.

"I'mma coming down right now. My girl needs me."

She hung up in his ear before he had time to tell her that they were all in a holding pattern and nobody was allowed into the room. Well, nobody was allowed in but he had watched as Ranger walked to the door and opened it, closing it behind him. Rules only went so far and he would be there to see how successfully the staff tried to remove Ranger from the room.

Tank settled into a chair. He was becoming way too used to these hard and uncomfortable pieces of furniture. He wondered if a donation to the hospital could be specifically earmarked for new furniture in waiting rooms?

~~~o0o~~~

Ranger slipped into the room, closing the door softly behind him. He stood looking at his Babe, laying so very still in the large bed. She was hooked up to monitors and IV lines and oxygen. She looked so tiny dressed in hospital garb.

He walked over to the edge of the bed and gently gave her a kiss on her lips, thankful that there was no breathing tube. He adjusted the clip pushing oxygen into her nostrils

He took a chair and placing it against the side of the bed, he settled into it. He put his hand overtop hers laying on top of the white hospital blanket and gave a gentle squeeze. He was there for her. They may not be lovers at the present time and even he could not elaborate on what relationship they had going on, but she was his and he was hers.

He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling.

They had promised that all-important talk after she was shot but with everything going on, it had been pushed onto the back burner. Would they get the opportunity to really say what was in their hearts or would they drift along like ships in the dark.

He thought back to the last few days. Lunch in his office was a bit stilted at first, but she said something and he said something and the ice cracked.

They had joked at how Les had looked after his water balloon bath and the money that had been raised. Rangeman had indeed matched the amount raised and nice cheques were on their way to the two charities of choice.

They had both chuckled in remembrance as Les had joked and made remarks during the prank but his eyes twinkled and Steph was watching him. Payback was a bitch, after all.

Ranger looked at his watch.

Stephanie just this morning had agreed to have supper on seven with him. Ella had been advised and Ranger knew that there would have been a special meal up there ready. They had talked about it and she had suggested that it be a casual affair at the breakfast nook. Better to take it slow. She would look after it, she said, and it would be good.

Ranger looked at his Babe. Would they ever have that meal?

~~~o0o~~~

Les was off shift and itching to head to the hospital but he had missed getting in on the shifts. They were all filled and he cursed that he had been stuck on monitors and unable to be there. His Beautiful was in trouble again and medically it seemed that she was at that stage where something would need to be done. Diet and exercise was not helping enough and while she had responded to them both, it was easy to see that she would not be able to go much further with the current treatment.

He had received another outside call and he needed to talk to Ranger, or if he wasn't available, then Tank. Time was starting to become an issue.

~~~o0o~~~

Lula breezed into the waiting room and sailed directly to Tank. In her haste, she had accidently put on a matching outfit and her hair was tied up in a scarf, keeping it off her face.

Tank gave her a hug and sat her down beside him. He would have preferred a couch or something larger but this room was definitely not furnished with larger people in mind.

Lula was ready to start belting out the questions again, but he put up a hand.

"Lula Baby, I just don't have a lot of information right now. They are running tests. That's all they're saying. Ranger is in there whether they want him to be in there or not. Bobby is down in Emerg since one of our trucks was t-boned on the way to a call and the guys are getting checked out. He promised to be up shortly."

Lula harrumphed. Stephanie had saved her life, twice, and something so small as a cat fight was not going to stop her from being there for her friend.

Stephanie's family came into the room and looked around before finding chairs to sit down. Frank walked over to Tank and spoke.

"I took the day off and drove Val and her family and Helen and Edna to Point Pleasant for the day. It was a planned school holiday and I thought the little ones needed a break."

He grimaced.

"I received three separate speeding tickets on the way in. I think I can get Morelli to cancel one but the other two are gonna hurt. The State Police must have heard too many times that someone's heading to the hospital for a sick child and didn't even blink."

Tank nodded his head and put out his hand. Frank shook his head that he would look after them himself but from Tank's expression it appeared to be prudent to take them out of his pocket. Tank reached over and removed them from Frank's hand. Rangeman would make sure that they were paid on time.

Bobby returned to the waiting room and sat down by Tank. He looked around and smiled at the friends and family waiting patiently.

"Zack and Woody are fine, just a few seatbelt bruises. The other driver has already claimed responsibility and the call they were heading to was a false alarm."

He looked at Tank.

"Did Ranger give the doctor the phone number?"

Tank nodded his head slightly. Nobody was privy to what they were talking about and until some decisions were made, it was best to keep it all under wraps.

~~~o0o~~~

Dr. Starzinski suspected that he would find Ranger in Stephanie's room and didn't even walk to the waiting room. He opened the door very quietly and noted that Ranger was sitting right by the bed and his hand was resting gently overtop hers.

Ranger looked the picture of calm but Dr. Starinski had treated Rangemen enough that he had begun to notice the little mannerisms.

He walked to the bed and looked down. Stephanie was laying in the bed with all the available monitors and IV's doing their job. He looked at Ranger and spoke.

"I spoke directly to Dr. Olson. He had already perused the file and we discussed possible scenarios. We came to the conclusion that she is a good candidate for the Mitra Clip but we need to get her stabilized to a satisfactory condition before we attempt a flight. I am hoping that within the next 48 hours she will have rallied enough to send her to Sweden but I have concerns that no airline will take her in this condition."

Ranger could see that the good doctor's hands were basically tied with the knowledge that there was a treatable procedure that could save his patient but it was not allowed to be attempted in the US yet. He took pity on the doctor and spoke.

"I made a phone call and our private jet is at this moment being fitted to accept a patient under full medical requirements. We can leave when you feel she can travel. Obviously my medic is very competent at treating most symptoms that might arise, but if you would like to accompany us, there is room on board and that too can be arranged."

Dr. Starzinski looked at his clipboard.

"Dr. Olson kindly offered that I would be given privileges to observe the procedure if I chose to travel with Stephanie. If and when it is approved for insertion here in the US., I would already have a step up and be certified to perform it and help patients much sooner here.

If I can clear my schedule, I would be grateful for the chance to be on that plane."

He stopped and waited.

Ranger spoke.

"As it turns out, we have just been approached to provide transportation oversees for someone and while it will take time to prepare the plane and get everything ready, I feel certain that in 48 hours we can be ready to leave."

Dr. Starzinski nodded his head and internally questioned how things could move that fast, but he had learned a long time ago that Rangeman had very deep pockets and even more important, very well connected people who could make things happen.

He strode to the door, then looked back.

"Let me know. This is something I personally want to follow up and I will wait for word."

He walked out the door.

Ranger stood up and walked to the corner of the room as he pulled out his phone.

"Les, get your end straightened out. We are leaving with Stephanie in 48 hours to Stockholm. You and the plane can pick up your passenger and get back here and then we will let you continue on your trip from Stockholm after that."

::::

MVA - Motor Vehicle Accident

Emerg - Emergency


	20. Chapter 20

**I hope everyone had a good weekend. It snowed here! A little early, Mother Nature! **

**Thanks to JE who graciously allows us poor authors permission to mess with her characters. Boy, I'd sure like to mess with Ranger!**

**All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 20

Stephanie's eyes opened and she jumped and struggled to sit up. She was late for her shift on the monitors and Ranger would be furious.

Stephanie heard Ranger speak as she fought to get out of bed. He was trying to keep her from tearing off her leads and ripping out her lines.

"Babe, it's all right. Babe, you're safe. Calm down, Babe. Please Babe, don't struggle. You could dislodge something and we really, really don't need that."

The door crashed open and a couple of medical personnel raced into the room. They had noticed on their monitors the changes in her heart rate and respirations and came in with the intention of averting a medical issue.

Ranger put up his hand and they stopped. He motioned that Stephanie was awake and they noticed the puzzled and questioning look she was giving everyone.

One of the nurses stopped by the bed and put her hand on Stephanie's arm as much to reassure her as stop her from thrashing any further.

"Ms. Plum. You are in the hospital and you're fine. I know you have no idea what happened but if you can stay calm, I will have the doctor see you as soon as he is able to. He will explain everything then."

The other nurse had been checking Stephanie as well. Nodding that she was satisfied that everything was still attached and inserted properly, they both headed back to the doorway.

Stephanie still had questions, lots of questions and she looked at Ranger for an explanation. He had perched a cheek on the side of the bed beside her and picking up her hand closest to him, he enclosed it in one of his and gave a gentle squeeze.

"I'm sure Dr. Starzinski will explain but basically we found you in your bed and couldn't wake you. We called an ambulance and you've been here in the Cardiac Care Unit for about 4 hours."

He looked at her and his eyes gave away the stress he had been under.

"Babe, they think you might have had a heart attack. Your heart is having some issues, and while they are continuing to do more tests, it appears that you might be needing some additional intervention soon."

Stephanie lay back and tears slipped down her cheeks. Once again her body was betraying her and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it.

Ranger stood up and leaned over the bed looking into her eyes as he gave a gentle kiss on her lips while wiping the tears away with tenderness.

"Don't give up on yourself, Babe. There are lots of things we can do to make you better and stronger and faster."

Stephanie didn't really feeling like joking right now but she looked into his eyes.

"I don't really feel like the Bionic Man right now, Batman, but I sure would like to feel like Wonder Woman again."

Ranger chuckled to himself. It was a sign, a good sign. Her never-say-die attitude was trying to make a come-back and he missed it, OMG he missed it.

Just then, Dr. Starzinksi walked through the doorway and looked at his patient staring into her bosses eyes. He could see the love that they both had for each other, in spite of everything that had been going on. They continued to deny to everyone who would listen but Ted Starzinski could see that without one the other would probably wither and die. He was, after all, a heart specialist.

He cleared his throat and walked slowly to the bed, as much to let them pull themselves back together as to announce his arrival.

Ranger by now had stood up and stepped back leaving the doctor room to access his patient.

"Welcome back, Stephanie. You gave everyone, and I mean everyone a good scare earlier. I have the results of some of the tests and it looks like you did not suffer a heart attack as we had originally feared. Now, that is good news in itself but we still don't really like what we are seeing. In my opinion and shared by the cardiac team, it just confirms the fact that your heart is telling us that it is asking for a bit of assistance from the medical community."

He looked at Ranger. Should he tell her or should Ranger?

Ranger nodded his head that he would continue.

"Babe, we, and by that I mean Bobby has been checking around looking for something or someone who has some new intervention on heart function after damage by whatever means. He's found a clinic in Sweden that's performing a procedure to give a bit of a helping hand to hearts. It's very non-invasive and the results are coming back with positive results that the recipients can live to be a ripe old age and be able to perform almost or as well as before their accident. Bobby has been in touch with Dr. Starzinski here and it appears that he too has been keeping abreast of the developments. Unfortunately, while the tests going on are progressing and showing very positive results, they are not likely to be approved here in the States anytime soon.

Dr. Starzinski kindly gave his permission for us to contact this clinic and we arranged for your file to be sent. We didn't want to raise your hopes in case they were not prepared to even look at your case file but Dr. Starzinski and Dr. Olson, as the surgeon's name is, have been conversing. We recently received confirmation, and this was before you wound up here, that they feel very confident that they can get very good results for you."

He stopped because Stephanie had already put up her hand.

"Ranger, you've bled money and more money for me than anyone should ever be forced to do. I don't want to take any more money of yours."

Dr. Starzinski spoke.

"While it is not covered under American Insurance Policies, Dr. Olson has assured me that on a medical scale of this procedure versus the time, effort and cost of a heart transplant that it is very well worth the expense. As a matter of fact, since the inpatient stay is only a day or so, patients who make the trip usually stay in Stockholm for the rest of their testing period after the insertion. It appears to be working that fast and the results are almost instantaneous.

As for the expense of travel, as it has been explained to me, their plane was already being readied for a passenger to fly to Africa and the new plan is to slightly divert to drop you and your medic and myself at the clinic on the way. I've been given permission by Dr. Olson to attend your procedure with the idea that when the FDA approves it here, I will already be familiar with the procedure and can help patients in a more timely manner."

She looked at Ranger, then Dr. Starzinski then back to Ranger and he gave no indication that what the doctor had said was anything but the truth.

She thought a moment then spoke.

"Why is the plane flying to Africa?"

Ranger cleared his throat. He didn't want to give too many details in front of the doctor, but the question was a legitimate one.

"Les owed someone a favor and she's calling it in, Babe. There is some urgency to the request and we had been making plans. I can assure you that James has already begun to make the necessary medical adjustments and the permits have already been obtained. He assured us that dropping you off in Sweden was quite close to his intended path anyway with the storms that are over the Atlantic right now."

He crossed his fingers figuratively. Looking at any map there was no way that any storm would have altered the path that far north. James would have probably instead headed more southerly. Ranger wondered when she would figure the truth out. There might be some fireworks since she believed already that Rangeman and Ranger kept paying too much for medical for her. She had the ability to refuse to go, but he hoped that the fact that they were not doing this just for her might turn the tide.

Stephanie looked at the doctor.

"So, what is it, what will they do and what kind of assurances that I can resume a normal life is there, because, quite frankly, this sucks right now!"

Dr. Starzinski pulled out a pamphlet. He showed her what the Mitra Clip looked like and where it would be placed. He explained that it was a very simple procedure and hardly invasive at all. It was called keyhole surgery and was being used in everything from appendix to gallbladder to hernia. He showed the test results so far and the endorsements from patients on how it had improved their lives.

He answered all her questions and acknowledged her concerns that it was not allowed in the US as yet, it was still in the testing stages and probably wouldn't be approved for probably a year. He acknowledged that she could stay on the same routine and diet but that he couldn't guarantee that her meds wouldn't increase or change as time went on.

He confirmed that she probably would never have much in the way of stamina and would probably be tied to the medical profession for years to come.

He stood up and headed to the door. It was a big decision and hers to make. He looked at Ranger who had listened very attentively to it all. He too needed to know all the scenarios.

Dr. Starzinski spoke.

"You have a lot to think about Stephanie and I will be on the floor for awhile longer. Have someone call me if you need to talk to me or if you've made a decision. It's your life and I respect that you have the right to choose how you want to live."

He left the room.

Stephanie looked at Ranger and her heart sank. He was standing there and his face was anything but blank. He looked tired and almost, well almost afraid. Since Ranger never looked or acted afraid, she figured that she'd caught him at a bad moment.

She played with the white hospital blanket laying over her and picked at some imaginary lint. She thought about how tired she was and trying to cover it up. She thought about how much Bobby had done to get her to this point, and how disappointed in her he would be if she just decided to give up again. She wondered how her family would feel if she continued on this holding path.

Stephanie missed playing with her nieces. They were active little girls and she loved to horse around with them. It was fall and she had missed raking the leaves together and then jumping in them. She had missed Halloween, her favorite time of year.

She wondered if her attitude to life and the depression she was now having issues with was really in some part a part of what her health was doing to her.

She looked at Ranger.

"Will you come with me? I don't think I can do this by myself. I need my strong, brave and scary best friend with me to keep away all the bad things I seem to get myself into."

Ranger squeezed her hand in his and his voice was soft.

"I was hoping you would ask me to come Babe. I thought about getting on the plane with or without your permission but I wanted you to make the decision."

~~~o0o~~~

Les closed his phone and sighed. He had his bag packed and he was ready to jump on the plane as soon as James gave the OK. He had just spoken to Veronica and time was running out.

She had refused the next round of treatments. The cancer was not being controlled anyway and she wanted to go back home to Africa to end her days surrounded by her people. She had asked Les if he could get her home and he had come through for her.

She arranged to have packed up what she wanted to take and made arrangements for her other possessions to be sold. She had already released the workers who had accompanied her and had looked after her while she was in treatment and they were also free to stay or go home. Most had already left her employ and had slipped into the cities. They had assured her that they had ways and means now to stay under the radar and had no wish to draw attention to themselves and risk going back home. Africa had been their home, but America was their new home and they would do anything they could to stay.

Veronica had already spoken to her lawyer and the final papers were just waiting for her return to sign. She wanted to stay at her first plantation. Les had already volunteered as her personal bodyguard only. He would not take back his position, letting the new man continue.

Les had suggested Ralph as the Foreman of this small holding and so far he had heard that he was doing an excellent job. He had the respect of the workers and knew the business from the lowest position to now the top paying on the plantation.

He was tough but fair.

He had phoned Les a few times for some advice but most of his decisions were carried out after careful planning and preparation.

Ralph had mentioned that he was about to become a father soon and he was looking forward to holding his new baby in his arms.

Les wondered how long he would be away this time. He had just begun to immerse himself back into Rangeman activities and here he was leaving again. Fortunately Tank had understood his need to leave and had assured him that he was fully capable of running the entire company without the rest of the Core Teams help.

Ranger was flying with Stephanie to Sweden. Bobby would care for both Stephanie and Veronica on the plane and would continue on with Les to Africa, then return the next day with James. Then he, Dr. Starzinski and the plane would fly home.

Their back-up to the back-up pilot at Rangeman was on holidays in Europe and had changed his plans and would meet them in Sudan and come home on the Rangeman plane. There had been a lot of planning in a few short hours but it had all come together so smoothly it was almost as if fate had stepped in.

Les snapped his fingers and headed for the garage. He needed to see Beautiful before he left.

He jumped into the first available vehicle and took off for the hospital. Stephanie was being prepped for the flight and she was being pumped full of all kinds of meds to soften the trip, waylay any infection and prepare her for surgery.

He headed for her room and nodded at Hal and Ram who were on guard at the door. He knocked and walked in, surprising Lula who was telling Stephanie a story. Ranger and Tank were standing in the corner shaking their heads as she related how Clinton kept phoning Connie asking her if Lula knew where this or that file was. She had drawn herself up to her full height when Stephanie had deadpanned that eventually all the inmates would be released anyway and then they would stop phoning.

Les stood with the men and watched the two friends chatter at each other. They could tell that Stephanie was tiring but she never let on to Lula that it was time to leave. She could always sleep later and it was good to have her around. Earlier wounds were forgotten and once again they had moved past the politics and had concentrated on friendship.

Lula finally noticed that Stephanie was not participating in the conversation much and looked down at her closely. She stood up and spoke.

"Girl, I love visiting but I'mma gonna leave and let you sleep. Otherwise you'll never get better and help me out with the trips I am saving up for. I need help with my bridal outfit and I figure that my maid of honor needs to be at her best to give me an honest opinion on what I need.

Stephanie looked from her to Tank. She wanted her as her Maid of Honor, at their wedding? Really after all she had put them through? Tank gave a small nod and Lula stood waiting for an answer.

"Well? What say you girl? I'mma waiting. I thought long and hard 'bout this and you are the only one I'm considering. I could'a asked Connie but long ago she done told me that her first wedding in a bridal party was going to be as the bride."

Tank looked at Ranger and he nodded back. No words seemed to be needed to ask or accept.

Lula and Tank headed out of the room. They probably wouldn't see them again before they left.

Les stepped to the bed. He was on his way to the airport. James had texted he was ready to take off and had already filed his flight plan. He would fly to the airport closest to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, pick up Veronica and fly back, overnight and then Stephanie and her entourage would join them and head to Sweden.

He gave her a kiss on the cheek, ignoring Ranger who was giving off soft but dangerous growls. Les figured that he wasn't in danger, yet.

"I'll see you tomorrow Beautiful then we can spend some quality time as we fly you to your appointment."

Les gave a nod to Ranger on the way out, and signalled that he needed to speak with him outside.

Les turned and spoke as soon as they closed the door.

"Veronica is very weak and I think she's going to need to get off the plane back here for a few hours. I originally thought of a hotel. Is it OK if I take her to Rangeman and have Bobby check her out? She can have a rest overnight in a guest suite, something to eat and hopefully by then you will be ready on your end?"

Ranger nodded his head. They were still doing the final tests for the clinic in Stockholm and the results would be sent while they were in the air. The two doctors had gone over the latest results and they were planning to schedule the procedure the morning after Stephanie arrived at the clinic.

Rangeman had already alerted the ambulance dispatcher that there was a medical transfer from the hospital to the airport for early tomorrow morning. The ride was scheduled and they would be standing ready with the special gurney due to the narrower plane door.

It sounded like all the planning was coming together and they were all now in a holding pattern. It wouldn't take much to make everything all come tumbling down around their ears. One patient who developed complications, one customs issue or something mechanical.

The men headed their separate ways.

Ranger stepped back into the room. Stephanie was laying there but he could see worry lines on her forehead. He walked over and put his fingers on the wrinkles and gently massaged them trying to erase the worry.

"Ranger, you've been very calm and cool about the fact that the plane was heading out anyway, and I can accept that there is a very good reason for it and that we are tagging along. But..."

Ranger gave her a gentle kiss on the mouth and she smiled. That was his way to try to jumble her thoughts and although it almost always worked she needed to stay on track. It was important that she say this right.

"So, Sweden is a pretty expensive place to live, Ranger. I know you have insurance for health care in the States, but are you paying out of pocket for this? I just can't allow you to do this. I just can't."


	21. Chapter 21

**Many, many thanks for your reviews. All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 21

Les hopped on the plane and locked the door. He belted in and James confirmed his departure status with the tower. The plane began to slowly roll to the runway and after a final check, they raced down the runway and into the air. In spite of the reasons for the trip, Les smiled. He loved take-offs. He loved the feeling as he was sucked into his seat and the surge of power as the engines launched them into the sky.

He unhooked his belt as soon as he could and made his way up to the cockpit area. Les was also trained and certified on fixed wing aircraft and liked to keep his hand in when he could. He hoped that James would release the controls so he could fly some on the way down to Florida but with Veronica in the back coming back, he would stay with her and keep her company or attend to her needs if it was required.

Les knew that this was a one-way trip back home for Veronica and while he was sad that she was losing her battle with cancer, he had been in a place that he could do one last thing to help her. He had also assured her that he would stay with her until he wasn't needed anymore. They both realized what he had offered.

He looked at the email that he had received on his phone just before take off. His 'other' bank account was looking a bit the worse for wear but he had a good feeling. Ranger had tried to muscle his way in to pay for the operation in Sweden but he had already set the wheels in motion and the payment had come out. Like it or not, Stephanie was going. It was non-refundable. He would take it up with her when he saw her again. He figured that there would be some fireworks. She did not like to be beholden on anyone and Ranger and Rangeman had taken enough hits. It was time for her other friends to step up.

He settled into the co-pilots seat and put on the headphones, nodding that he was ready and James lifted his hands off in the classic move to give away control. It would cost him a steak dinner, but well worth the price.

Les didn't even want to have the plane fly on autopilot and switched it off, grinning at the quick response of the plane under his capable hands. He wondered when James was taking his holidays. He wanted to petition Ranger and Tank that he assume all the duties of pilot on standby for Rangeman activities.

He advised the tower of his impending arrival and smoothly landed, the wheels barely bouncing on the ground before settling into its return to mother earth. He taxied to the available apron and shut down the aircraft for a quick check and fueling for their return.

Les would go to Veronica and arrange for her transportation back to the plane. James would top up the fuel and get something to eat. He would be waiting to lift off again when they arrived.

They were unsure what method of transportation would be needed whether it be by cab or an ambulance so they made sure the medical equipment was set up and ready.

James would check with the aviation meteorologists for the smoothest route back and file the flight plan.

There was a cab waiting and Les jumped into it giving the address. He settled in for the half hour ride to the clinic and mentally ticked off on his fingers what he needed to do.

Veronica had been adamant that she would be travelling alone. Her personal hand servant had chosen to stay, so they would not need the paperwork for anyone. Passports were a given and he would check that Veronica was armed with whatever papers she needed to return after so many years.

He wondered how Ranger was doing with Stephanie.

~~~o0o~~~

Frank, Helen and Edna were standing by the bed watching as Stephanie woke up from another nap. Once again she had scared them with her health status.

Edna watched her eyes flutter and then open slowly. Her color was much better than when she had been brought in and all reports said that she was resting comfortably and there had been no further damage. The doctor had pulled them aside and confirmed that while it was not a heart attack, it had been concerning to all. He mentioned about the procedure that he had broached with his patient and that while it was not approved yet in the US it was being routinely performed in Europe. He was just waiting for her to give him written permission for the final paperwork to be forwarded to the clinic with the latest test results.

Frank and Helen stood by watching. They had seen that look before when she was growing up. Something was wrong. Her hands were clenched as she struggled to form her thoughts.

"Mom, Dad and Grandma. I have some news. Now, before you go off and start arguing with me, let me talk."

She looked at them very pointedly and all three slowly nodded their heads.

Stephanie spoke once again.

"I'm sure that you have heard of some kind of procedure that's being used to assist hearts to either help to strengthen them or to help until such time as a heart transplant. My doctor and Rangeman's medic Bobby have been in contact with a doctor who was willing to take me on, but the cost of everything needs to be paid for out of pocket."

Her eyes took on a steely dark blue color and she continued.

"I've let them pay too much already and I am going to advise everyone that I refuse to let them pay even more for my care.

I had a meeting with Melanie, my therapist just last week and she feels that we are at a place that I only need to see her on an as-needed basis now. Therefore my conditions for being released are now complete. So, as soon as I can get out of this bed, I'm signing out and signing off Rangeman insurance and employment and living in their building.

I need to start looking after myself. I'll get a job at the personal products factory and if there's a small apartment close by that I can walk to and from, I will be getting my exercise that way.

I can work in the HR department so I will be sitting down and not taxing what strength I have."

She looked at her mother.

"You always wanted me to work there and you should be happy. You won't have to worry about me and won't need to feed me or constantly drive me anymore when I destroy a car. I'm 34 years old, Mom and need to grow up."

The three felt like they had been rocked back on their heels. Here she was just getting back on her feet and she drops this in their lap?

Frank cleared his throat and seemed the only one to formulate words.

"Have you told Ranger this yet, because I for one believe that he will feel very hurt at this decision. Besides the fact that his eyes tell of a very strong affection for you, at our last chat he mentioned how happy he and his men were that you were in the building once again. I think that you are making a very bad decision honey, and it's not just about leaving Rangeman, but that you are turning down what potentially is a life-altering decision."

Stephanie grasped the covers on the bed and grimaced. He had hit upon so many sore points with just a few sentences. Yes she would miss the men, yes she would miss living in the building with all its perks and amenities and most of all she would miss Ranger.

She remembered watching as Ranger had literally stormed out the door after she had told him of her decision.

She wondered if she would even see him again. Probably he would just wipe his hands of her and tell her that he was done, and she couldn't even blame him for that. Once again they would part ways but this time it felt final, somehow.

She thought back. He had taken away her choices and she had fled to her parents house feeling that was her only choice left. Now she had messed up his plans and it sounded like there were serious consequences for a number of people.

Notwithstanding that her health was at risk, she lamented that they both had made mistakes about each other, about events and about even their love life. They both had taken what they wanted and needed and neither had ever said what was in their hearts. He had always said that there was no price but there was a price. Happiness, contentment, love. Those were but a few.

She had never taken responsibility for her actions and her excuse of 'it's not my fault' or 'I had no choice' rang false in every sense of the word. Yes, so many things were her fault and she had stated on so many fronts that her choice was to head in without back-up, or try a capture that was obviously out of her league. Yes, it was her fault.

He had never apologized for taking away her choices but at the same time she had sent so many false signals his way that it was probably impossible to make heads or tails what she wanted or needed or wanted to choose from.

She closed her eyes. They had never sat down and discussed anything that had to do with their lives, and their lives together. That 'talk' had never happened and once again they were heading in opposite directions with no path circling back.

What a clusterfuck this whole relationship had moved to. No wonder nobody knew what they were doing, since neither of them could figure it out either.

Some hidden signal must have passed from Edna to Frank and Helen because Stephanie heard the door close.

"Stephanie, look at me!"

Stephanie literally jumped at the command. She had never, ever heard her grandmother speak like that.

Her eyes opened wide and she shuddered.

Edna had straightened herself up to her full height and was glaring at her granddaughter.

"I lived with a man for many, many years who tried to wear the hair shirt that he should not rock the boat when he was demoted due to his age. I watched as he slowly withered away, losing all desire to continue living and seeing new things and experiencing new firsts. He barely had time to see you start to blossom into the woman you are today before he basically gave up, laying in bed his final days telling me that he didn't want to be a burden anymore. He had so much to live for and he wasted it."

She took a breath.

"That keychain we gave you when you broke your arm? Do you know that that was the only holiday we took? We had so much fun, walking on the boardwalk past all the vendors. As soon as we saw that it was different from one side to another, we knew it was made for you. You are almost like the movie, Victor/Victoria. You display one face to some and the other to others. You don't want to rock the boat and so you curl up into a ball and try to roll away."

She was now pacing around the room and continued.

"Did you know that my Harry used to be a carpenter and made such beautiful furniture. You probably never saw the wooden carvings that he gave to friends and family because he wanted to make them smile. You have the same smile, Stephanie and unfortunately I am seeing the same attitude right now that Harry had when he prepared to die. I always thought that you took after me in my youth, but I see that you have also a very destructive trait like your grandfather and I for one do NOT want to stand around and watch Round Two.

So, take off, run away, again and wallow in your misery, Stephanie. You have friends who have invested time and love in your care. And, oh, by the way, the bill for the surgery has already been paid and is non-refundable and Ranger did not pay for it. He was too late. Someone or a number of someones at Rangeman paid the whole shot."

She was still pacing around the room but her gait was slowing. Her face looked haggard and frankly, old.

She sat down in a chair and drew a shaky breath.

Stephanie's bed was at an elevated angle and she pressed the button to raise it even more. She never even realized that tears were running down her cheeks until she could feel her hospital johnny get wet on her shoulders.

Stephanie wiped the palms of her hands down her cheeks.

"Grandma, I just never wanted to be a burden. I tried to be perfect like Val and never get dirty, or fall out of trees or get called into the principal's office but I just couldn't help it and I still can't get my head around needing to ask for help. That's why I got into so much trouble when I was bounty hunting. I hated to appear to be weak and helpless and needing to ask for help so I tried to muddle my way through the best way I could.

I need choices in my life, Grandma. So many times I have no choice and I'm tired of it. I just want to have choices, Grandma. Hopefully I will make the right decision but I deserve the right to have choices.

I'm laying in this stupid bed and I just want to get out of here and get on with my life."

Edna stood up and walked unsteadily to the bed. She took her granddaughter's hand in hers and squeezed.

"I know honey, I know. But so many people want you to succeed and climb those trees again, and heaven forbid, jump off that stupid garage and fly. They are trying to give you the tools so that you can do that. Nobody wants you to sit around and wither away not wanting to bother anybody. They want you to fly, baby. They want you to fly as high as you can."

By now, both ladies were crying.

The door opened and a nurse came in to do her checks. She took one look and her eyebrow raised. In spite of her tears Stephanie wondered if she was still only one of a few people who couldn't perform that and if she would ever learn.

"I think I'll come back in a few minutes," said the nurse and quietly closed the door behind her once again.

The door crashed open and Ranger stormed back into the room. Stephanie..."

He stopped because Stephanie had put up her hand.

"Slow down there Batman. Instead of paying the big bucks to Melanie to straighten out my thoughts, you should have just made me talk to Grandma. She pointed out a few things and we ironed out some other strange and stupid ideas of mine that needed an adjustment. I heard that the bill has already been paid and I WILL find out who paid, but until then I'm willing to sign the papers and begin to really get better. I have some living to do, and there's a garage that I need to re-visit."

Ranger looked from Stephanie to Grandma and he shook his head. A garage? She wanted to head to a garage? Was there a car in there he didn't know about?

He shook his head as Stephanie and Edna gave each other a hug. He just couldn't imagine what his Babe would be like in fifty years but he was damn sure that he wanted to be around to see it for himself.

Edna stood up after giving her baby granddaughter a kiss on the cheek. She whispered something in her ear then, patted her on the arm and walked to the door.

"I hope that Frank and Helen left. Have you seen Hector around? There's a viewing this afternoon. Mary Carter passed away and I just know that her daughter dressed her in her blue dress suit when she wanted her favorite square dancing skirt with the two crinolines."

Edna nodded at them both as she walked out the door.

Ranger looked at Stephanie as she lay in the bed. He could see the tear tracks down her face and walking to her he gently wiped them away with a thumb on each cheek.

He leaned down and gave her a gently kiss on the mouth and Stephanie reached up and putting both arms around his neck, pulled him closer to her. She gave him a kiss of her own, and then looking in his eyes spoke.

"I love you Carlos Manoso. I haven't told you enough and I do hope to tell you many more times. I really do appreciate all that you have and are doing for me and I promise to get better and then we can have that talk because there are a bunch of things I want to say to you."

Her arms fell back to her side from the effort but her eyes were dancing with excitement for the first time in a long time.

Did she still have a valid passport?

~~~o0o~~~

Les waited patiently outside the room. He could hear the nursing staff assisting Veronica with dressing and packing her small suitcase.

She walked out with her cane in one hand and holding onto the arm of one of the nursing staff. The nurse was carrying the little suitcase in her other hand and handed it off to Les as they emerged from the room. He stepped to her now free arm and held his arm out for her to grasp. He tried not to grimace at how much she was depending on him to hold her steady.

Les guided her to the front door where there was a cab waiting to whisk them back to the airport and the plane.

James was standing by the steps of the plane and watched as Les helped her to maneuver herself up the steps. He had the bag sitting by his feet and carried it up behind them.

Les had already helped her to belt herself into the seat and was offering her a blanket and a pillow to make her journey a bit easier. He was very attentive, trying not to overstep his bounds or embarrass her but trying to anticipate any need she might have.

James stowed the tiny suitcase in a closet and headed for the cockpit area. He settled in and proceeded to start the procedure to fire up the engines. He checked with the tower and began to roll into the que. The aircraft picked up speed and raced down the runway, literally jumping into the air. He turned it toward Newark and set it on autopilot.

Les watched as Veronica fell asleep. The muscles in her face relaxed with the knowledge that she was beginning her journey home. She actually looked happy and her body looked relaxed, and not in pain.

Les sat quietly in a seat across from her and read a magazine he found in a folder on the wall. It was an old copy of Guns and Ammo but the article was interesting and gave some ideas on hunting for sport.

He glanced up at Veronica at intervals then his eyes drifted back down to the pages of the magazine.

Veronica stirred and opened her eyes. She tried to unbuckle her seatbelt but the effort left her tired.

She looked at Les.

"I need to use the watercloset and I can't get free."

Les smiled and stood up, reaching over and lifting the metal snap. He offered his arm to her once again and she gratefully used him as a crutch. He walked her up to the little room and waited as she did her business then emerged. She stood for a moment, undecided on her next move.

"I need something to drink for my pills. What do you have to offer?"

Les opened up the mid-sized fridge and pulled out a number of selections.

"I have water, various pop, orange and apple juice, or you can have some coffee that is sitting in the carafe."

She nodded toward a bottle of water but looked longingly at the coffee carafe.

"I've been having trouble with the American blends lately, and I'm looking forward to having a cup of my blend."

Les pulled out the bag that she had arranged for him oh so many months ago and she almost clapped her hands in glee.

She watched as he began to make a fresh pot of coffee and as the aroma started to drift out of the coffee maker, she took a deep breath.

"I missed this blend."

Les smiled to himself. He had only used the beans sparingly and needed a new supply. He would phone and arrange for more to be delivered as soon as he landed. He knew the foreman.

James voice came over the intercom advising that they were twenty minutes out and to prepare to land.

Les helped Veronica back and helped her belt in.

"We're stopping overnight and I already have a suite arranged for you in our building. We will be picking up a few more passengers to drop them off in Sweden on the way,Veronica. The lady we are transporting needs some surgery and it's going to be done there since the US hasn't approved it as yet."

Veronica pursed her lips. She was not overly impressed that she would be sharing the space with anyone, but a favor was a favor and right now beggars couldn't be choosers.

James shut down the plane by the hanger and waiting was a large black SUV. Once again Les let her lean on him as they deplaned. She slipped into the back seat and sighed. Her strength was waning and she would be glad for the first part of the journey to be over.

She noticed that they drove into a large underground garage and parked right by an elevator. She noted that Les was already out of the vehicle and opening the door to assist her to make her way to the suite.

Les escorted her to the guest suite and watched as she headed directly to what looked like the bedroom. The door closed and he shrugged. He had effectively been dismissed. He scribbled a note and tacked it to the door and tiptoed out. If she needed him, he had left his number.

Les headed for the fifth floor to check in. He needed to confirm what time they were leaving tomorrow and wanted to brief Bobby on Veronica's condition and maybe have him check on her.

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie lay in bed as more and more tests were performed. She was feeling like a cake that had been poked and poked before the rum was poured over it. She was ready to say to hell with the cake and drink the rum.

Her favorite nurse, Sophia stepped in with her clipboard. She was the consummate professional as she marked down her temperature, respirations and ripped off the tape with her latest ECG.

Ranger had stepped out. His phone had been ringing and he let the two girls chat.

Sophia spoke.

"Everyone's being hush, hush, hush about this, Steph, but I just had to say that I hope it all turns out. You've had such a hard time since your accident and I know that whatever happens you will come out stronger."

She looked around and cheekily grinned.

"I have Joe now and I cannot thank you enough for introducing him to me. We've delayed our wedding until my Dad is feeling better and I would really like you to be my Maid of Honor, if you're feeling up to it. We're looking at at least a few more months and I, for one, can hardly wait."

Stephanie lifted her hand and Sophia put her hand in like a pledge handshake and they both grinned. Since they both knew Joe in every sense of the word, they could console each other at the wait that unfortunately was holding them up from finally telling the world how much they loved each other.

Ranger stepped back into the room and his features were blank. Stephanie looked at him and blurted.

"What's wrong, Batman?"

Ranger looked down at her laying in the bed. He had just been talking to both Les and Bobby on the speaker phone and there was a definite wrench in the works.

"Babe, I just spoke to Les and Bobby and it seems that the person that Les is escorting has demanded that Bobby NOT come anywhere near her in any capacity, especially a medical capacity. She cannot travel that distance without some medical attendant and right now we are in a bit of a holding pattern."

Stephanie lay back. Now that she had made the decision to go, she wanted to get the show on the road and the sooner she was operated on by this Dr. Olson, the better.

Her eyes lit up and she looked from Ranger to Sophia. Ranger, who possessed ESP, looked at Sophia then Stephanie and he nodded slightly.

"So, Sophia, do you have a valid passport and what are your plans for about a week?"


	22. Chapter 22

**So, I contacted Ranger and asked if he and his men would like to come for Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. He said that they wanted to supply the main course. I regretfully advised him that we don't have wild turkeys up here. He said he'd get back to me.**

**All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 22

Joe was in the middle of a meeting, but the vibrating buzz from the phone in his pocket had him looking down quickly.

He noted that Sophia was calling and she knew his schedule so it must be important for her to interrupt him. He wondered if something had happened to her father again. Had he suffered another heart attack?

He motioned that he needed to take the call and walked out of the room, pressing the talk button as he closed the door.

He cut to the chase.

"What's wrong Sophia and how can I help?"

He listened as Sophia explained that she had been attending to Stephanie's needs in the hospital and that Ranger had asked her what her plans were for about a week. She had told him that she needed to think about his request and was taking the time to call Joe. He had nodded his assent and watched as she had left the room and headed for the nurses office to call.

She was being asked to accompany an elderly woman who was in the final stages of cancer and was being flown to her home in Africa by Rangeman. The Rangeman medic was scheduled to accompany the plane and administer necessary aid to both Stephanie and this lady during the trip. Unfortunately she had refused to allow him anywhere near her as he was black and wanted the plans changed until someone more suitable could be found.

As she understood, the plane would stop off in Stockholm and offload Stephanie, her heart specialist and Ranger and then after overnighting, would continue the trip to El Obeid Airport in Sudan where they would then travel to her home plantation. A Lester Santos from Rangeman was providing escort for them and would stay until he was not needed, but once this lady was safely deposited in her home, she - Sophia would be flying back with the plane to Stockholm and then home with the doctor.

It was a bit sketchy but it sounded like Stephanie and Ranger would stay in Stockholm for the foreseeable future so the clinic could perform the necessary tests to see how Stephanie was recuperating.

Joe listened to her without interrupting. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime situations and he just couldn't see how she could turn it down. It would affect their days off plans but they could be re-scheduled and were not that exciting anyway, except that they would be together.

He spoke.

"Sophia, I can hear the excitement in your voice and I think that if you want to do this, you should. Our plans can be rescheduled for another time and you said that you wanted to travel more. I can't think of a better way to do it, and you don't even have to pay to fly."

Sophia was practically jumping with excitement. She loved to travel and this seemed like such an interesting way to do it. Unfortunately she would be doing it without Joe.

She saw Ranger standing outside the door talking to one of the guards. She knew that they were making plans and she needed to make a decision soon.

"I wanted to ask you first Joe, but I would like to do it. I need to go and get some more details and I do want to meet this person. I hear she is a bit of a pill, but I'm used to that kind of a patient and I have pretty thick skin and can take a bit of verbal abuse."

Joe tried to sound upbeat for her sake as he responded.

"Go get the details, my darling. I'll talk to you after your shift. I saw your passport in your drawer and I know it's current because I checked before I looked at places to travel to on our honeymoon."

Sophia could hear the hurt in his voice.

She spoke into the phone.

"I am looking more than forward to us taking that first trip as man and wife. Joe. I am going to call this as business and from the sounds of it I will not have time to see anything besides the inside of a plane or a hotel suite or a patients' home bedroom.

Joe's voice changed and he whispered.

"Go get the details honey so that you can leave and then get back as soon as you can. Until then, I will miss you and I will call you every evening until you get back."

He hung up the phone and walked back into the meeting.

~~~o0o~~~

Sophia found Ranger back in Stephanie's room. She had a number of questions, but uppermost was the fact that she wanted to meet this lady before she accepted the assignment.

Ranger listened to her demand and he nodded. That would be easy to arrange. Her shift was ending in less than an hour and time was ticking.

While she had been out of the room Stephanie had also broached the subject.

How many seats were there in the plane? Could they take one more on short notice?

Ranger thought long and hard. Stephanie had asked for this as a personal favor and while he had mentally grimaced, he agreed to check.

~~~o0o~~~

Sophia stepped into the main reception area at Rangeman. Bobby was waiting for her and escorted her to the elevator which was waiting with the doors open.

"She won't even let me in the room. I am the wrong color to even talk to her. I hope you have your pachyderm skin on because she's in fine form this evening. If she doesn't accept you, I have no idea what we'll do at this late date. We need to get this plane in the air and headed out. Stephanie needs this operation really, really soon."

Sophia nodded her head. She was pretty used to domineering people who were sick and scared in a hospital. She had a few tricks up her sleeve and was not above using each and every one of them.

Bobby escorted her to a door on the fourth floor and knocked. There was silence and he unlocked the door, allowing Sophia to walk in then closed the door behind her. He waited by the door, listening for anything from verbal abuse to something being thrown.

He checked his watch. Fifteen minutes had passed and there had been no screams or shouts for help.

The door opened and Sophia walked out. She had a clipboard in her hand and gave it to Bobby to peruse.

"It will be an interesting flight, but we are good to go. I'll just rush home and pack a bag and get right back here. I'll stay in her apartment overnight and we can all get ready to leave first thing in the morning."

Bobby looked at the clipboard as they waited for the elevator to arrive. All the checks had been neatly filled in and everything looked fine from a medical point of view.

He watched as Sophia climbed into a cab that was waiting in front of the building and it sped off.

~~~o0o~~~

Sophia climbed out of the cab at her house. Joe's truck was parked in the driveway and she raced to the door, surprised that he was opening it as she walked up. She looked at him.

"I received a call from Ranger just after you left. Stephanie is concerned that you would be basically unprotected while Les was watching your patient and he invited me to come along."

He pointedly did not mention that the invitation was made grudgingly and obviously at the request of Cupcake. She had known from chatting with Sophia of their wish to travel together the first time, and while the wedding was still months away, well, this seemed like a nudge for them to spend their first trip together.

Sophia was overjoyed but at the same time she was wary.

"You don't even like Ranger or any of his men. How can you all stay on a plane together without something happening? I might be too busy to patch you guys up in addition to looking after this Veronica lady and Stephanie?"

Joe flicked his hand like he was brushing away a fly.

"In the interest of what is happening, we are all adults and can put aside our differences for a few hours."

Sophia could almost hear an, 'I hope', in that statement but she softly brushed her lips against Joes and murmured.

"I need to pack and get back to Rangeman. I offered to stay overnight in the suite so that we can leave early in the morning."

Joe nodded. He was already cognizant of that. Ranger had already phoned him with the information and while he would be spending the night alone, he needed Mooch to pick up Bob. He would be ready to be picked up on the way to the airport.

~~~o0o~~~

Tank watched from the garage as the procession left Rangeman. Veronica, Sophia and Les were in one of the vehicles and Ranger was in another with Manny driving. They were on their way to Joe's house to pick him up and Ranger needed to talk to him before they reached the plane. An ambulance was bringing Stephanie and Bobby right from the hospital to the plane. A third vehicle had been dispatched for the doctor.

Joe was standing outside his house and marched to the vehicle, sliding into the back seat with his duffle at his feet. He suspected that unless they talked about paramaters soon, it might blow up somewhere on this trip and upset a whole lot of people.

He watched as they headed to the airport and he started to talk first.

"I appreciate the phone call. I was worried when Sophia was letting me know some of the details. While Santos appears to be fully capable, his job is to look after his charge and that would have left Sophia without protection."

Ranger nodded. He had agreed with Stephanie as soon as she broached the subject. He had not let on that Veronica was a difficult patient, nor that she had enemies. He suspected that Les would have to use all his coping skills before this trip was concluded and the fact that he had volunteered to stay with her until the end also spoke of both respect for her through these years and also that he too believed that she needed security.

He spoke.

"Stephanie, her doctor and I will be heading to the clinic in Stockholm as soon as the plane lands. Her cardiac specialist has been given privileges to observe the procedure. It sounds like the trials are concluding and we are hopeful that this will be approved very soon, but unfortunately she cannot wait."

He paused.

"Our pilot has already made all the necessary plans for refuelling and will be ready to leave with Sophie's patient, Les and yourself the next day. We have already made arrangements for two hotel suites. I know that you had been advised to leave your weapons in your house, but if I had been given that order I would have probably ignored it to a point and brought my personal weapon anyway. We have a selection on board for you to choose, so we would like to keep it as above board as possible. There is a locking safe in the storage area and unfortunately we will all need to walk around unarmed in Sweden."

He looked out the window then spoke again.

"Stephanie tells me that you and Sophia were forced to delay your wedding plans because of her father's health but maybe this is our small gift to the two of you for having to adjust your days off plans."

Joe shrugged. He could feel his Glock pressing against the small of his back. He would feel naked without a weapon and he couldn't even begin to know how the men on the plane would feel. Any time one of Rangemen had been detained they had enough firepower hidden on their bodies to possibly start a small war.

All too soon the SUV pulled up to the plane. The ambulance was already there and the attendants had loaded Stephanie into the interior and had her already in the hospital bed at the back. Veronica climbed the stairs with difficulty with Les and Sophia providing assistance as needed. She too headed to a bed and lay down. Her strength was waning and just the activities so far this early in the morning had already tired her.

Dr. Starzinski was seated in one of the chairs and with his bag at his feet, he was getting settled in. He would do periodic checks on both patients or if he was needed but he knew and trusted that Sophia could handle almost any situation.

Les seated himself on the other side of the plane and Ranger sat down facing Les. That left Joe to sit across from the doctor and he felt a sense of relief that he would not be having to try to keep a conversation going with the Rangemen.

Every seat was now filled.

James' voice came over the intercom and advised them that they were ready to depart and to buckle in.

Sophia quickly checked her charges and made sure the beds were locked into their restraints and the ladies were secured. She sat down in an airplane seat between the beds and also buckled in.

The plane taxied to the runway and with a surge of power they were racing down the runway. The plane jumped into the air and almost immediately the fasten seatbelt light went out.

Les unbuckled and headed to the cockpit. He was listed as the official co-pilot and would fly the plane half way. He sat down and buckling in, he put on the headphones and looked at James. James shook his head no and Les sighed. Darn. He would have to wait.

He noticed that wing tanks had been added and the gauges showed them lit up properly. James had certainly been busy getting ready for this trip. He handed a file folder to Les to peruse and flipping through it he could see all the signed permits and maintenance reports that would be needed when they landed. He also had photocopies of all the passports in the file.

Everyone settled in for the long trip.

Joe took a look at the little pamphlet in the wall holder. It had the usual safety information on emergency procedures on the plane. This was a Gulfstream G280. There was also a pamphlet on the plane and its different configurations. They could have either six to twelve seats and the layouts were as diverse as any house plan. It could be fancy with leather seats like this one, or set up as standard business with tables and chairs throughout the cabin. In the tiniest of print was the suggested retail cost of $24 million.

Once again Joe wondered where all the money came from.

He unbuckled his belt and headed to the back. He came into the room and Sophia raised her eyes to him then put down her magazine. She stood up and walked to him, giving him a soft kiss.

Joe could see Stephanie laying in bed but her eyes were open and she was watching them with a tiny smile on her face. They walked toward her and Joe leaned down and gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"Thanks for thinking of me Cupcake. I was worried about Sophia and jumped at the chance to come too and help with the final segment of this trip."

He looked over at Veronica and his face softened. He was looking at a lady who was obviously in the final stages of cancer and while she was sleeping and her face looked relaxed, he could see that she had led a difficult life. There were a number of scars on her arms and her forehead, even in sleep there were furrows from either worry or concern, or pain.

Joe had done a bit of research and while she owned a number of plantations, she had never married nor had she inherited any properties from her family. She had literally built her empire up herself with blood, sweat and tears.

Stephanie whispered trying to keep her voice down.

"I hope that you two can have some time together. You both deserve it."

Her eyes became heavy and she slipped off to sleep. The medicine was taking hold and the feeling was that she would need as much sleep as she could before they landed. They were prepared to operate the morning after she arrived.

Joe tiptoed back to his seat and sat down. Dr. Starzinski was looking out the window and it looked like a medical journal lay open on the seat beside him.

He looked toward Joe and reaching over he held out his hand.

"Ted Starzinski, pleased to meet you. I have heard whispers and rumors that our Sophia had found someone special. You have a very special lady here and I hope you look after her like she deserves to be looked after."

Joe had shaken the hand and nodded.

"Joe Morelli. I'm a member of the Trenton Police Force and nobody needs to remind me that she's special. I knew that the very first time I met her. Stephanie back there introduced us and while she is feeling quite pleased with herself and her matchmaking skills I feel very certain that we would have met with or without her help."

They settled back and relaxed. It was going to be a long flight.

Joe appreciated the fact that the doctor had shaken his hand. He had heard numerous times that surgeons ignored that tradition trying to keep someone from accidently hurting them with a handshake.

He fell asleep since he had not slept well the night before. He had missed Sophia sleeping in his bed and it was too quiet in the house with Bob already at Mooch's house. He had heard every noise, every tick of the clock and every car that had driven down the street. He had gotten up a number of times to add materials in his duffle. It never hurt to be prepared.

Ranger stood up and headed into the back. He observed Stephanie sleeping but Veronica was awake.

He moved to her side of the plane and she put out her hand. Ranger took it in his and softly squeezed.

He too had known Veronica from prior missions. While he had not been as privy to her business or had really worked with her, he had dropped in a number of times when Les was working and had seen the plantation first hand. He had been invited to stay a few days and while he had tried to stay almost invisible it was easy to see that she ruled with an iron fist and was not above disciplining some wayward slave herself with a cane.

Veronica spoke.

"Thank you for assisting me to travel home. I would not have been able to travel commercially and it is my wish to end my days surrounded by my people in my home. I also appreciate that Leonard as I know him has consented to be near. He was such a good employee when he worked for me and I missed him when he left. I was overjoyed to have him return and he managed my number one plantation admirably. I can see a family resemblance but at the same time I want to congratulate you on having such a fine young man in your employ. I'm sure you missed him while he was away and I did try to return him in the same condition he arrived in this time."

Her voice was fading but she wanted to elaborate a little more.

"I was ready to change my will, offering him my favorite plantation but he has already declined my offer. I am still pondering his suggestion but I will need to talk to my lawyer before I speak further."

She shifted on the narrow bed and sighed.

"If I could have found a man like him forty years ago, I would have married him in a minute."

Ranger looked at her as her eyes closed and he smiled. She had fallen asleep and it looked like she was dreaming of a man like that in her dreams.

He turned around and looked at Stephanie sleeping. He had found the woman he wanted to be with, but was it a one way street only? They had been on and off so many times in their relationship that he had no idea where he stood. She had begun to kid him like the old Stephanie. Batman, eh? Well, if he could, he would like to wrap his cape around her and steal into the night.

~~~o0o~~~

James came into the lounge area. He had let Les stew a bit before turning over the controls but he wanted to grab a bite to eat and talk to Ranger.

He held the plate with the sandwich on it and sat down across from Ranger, taking the time to eat before speaking.

"I have all the necessary permits and passes for the airport. We are not landing right in Stockholm but just outside. It is called The Bromma International Airport and I have already taken the liberty to schedule an ambulance for you three to head to the hospital. While I was at it I took the liberty to book a suite in their visiting complex for the doctor. There are two suites booked at the airport hotel, one for Veronica and her nurse and one for Les, Joe and myself. I assume that you want to stay with Stephanie at the hospital but if that changes, I know of a little hotel not too far away. Will they even allow you to stay?"

Ranger looked out the window. He would play that by ear but he was hoping that he could convince the staff, just as he had always done that Stephanie needed protection. They had had no room for extra staff on the plane to provide security and he would take it upon himself to do it. In the back of his mind was the fact that in the unlikely scenario that she was not approved, he would be there. He shook himself mentally. To have travelled this far she just had to qualify.

James stood up and headed to the washroom to wash his hands after his meal. He was totally anal when it came to not bringing in any foreign objects into the cockpit area and that included crumbs.

Les walked out and grabbed a plate with fruit and a muffin from the gallery. He noted that Joe, the doctor and Ranger were already eating and he sat down once again facing Ranger and began to eat. Ella had stocked the plane with healthy and wholesome food but in one corner she had tucked away some treats. Les's eyes lit up. There was a little flan, and a little crumb cake like the one that Stephanie had received the day she moved back. His mouth watered. He finished his fruit and headed back just as Joe emerged with the plate in his hand. He had already taken a bite out of the delicious repast and Les could only stare at him with his jaw slack.

Joe looked at him.

"Oh, was this yours? I didn't see any names on anything. I hate flan and I'm tired of parfaits."

Les shrugged his shoulders. It was not worth shooting Joe over a piece of cake, and anyway, all the weapons had now been locked in the gun safe. He dragged his feet as he headed in to see what was left. As Joe had said, there were a number of parfaits. Les pushed them around in the fridge hoping that there was another piece of his favorite cake hiding.

Ranger walked into the galley area and put his plate in the tiny dishwasher.

"Check the other fridge."

Les looked at the tiny container. It usually held Bobby's medical supplies.

On a shelf was a little cake dome over a plate and there was a note.

_Les_

_This is for you. Stephanie let it slip that she thinks that she's going to be fighting with you for a piece soon. Welcome back nephew._

_Ella_

Les took a fork from the drawer and cut a piece off, putting it in his mouth. His eyes closed and he smiled. He just knew Ella loved him best. He made a mental note to have flowers sent to her when he landed.

~~~o0o~~~

Dr. Starzinski walked into the patient area. Both Stephanie and Veronica were sleeping and Sophia was reading a magazine. He nodded at her to follow him and he spoke as she stepped out.

"I can stay with them for a bit so that you can have a break. There's food in the galley and if you want to visit with your man for awhile, I can sit here."

She nodded geatefully and handed him the clipboard so that he could read the results of her last checks.

He made a shooing motion and she walked out.

He looked over the neatly printed notes then stood by both Stephanie and Veronica.

Stephanie's color was improving from a few days ago but the fact that her body was rebelling had him concerned. He hoped that this Clip was the answer because he had no idea if she would survive long enough for a donor heart to be found.

He looked over at Veronica, observing her face. She was beginning to display a crinkling of her face denoting pain. He checked when she had last taken something and readied an injection. She took pills but this was faster and he didn't want her to wake up in pain then have the delay for the pills to work then try to sleep again. He watched as her face began to relax again.

He sat down in the chair and relaxed. Let the two young love birds have some time together. They both deserved it.

~~~o0o~~~

Bobby and Tank sat in Tank's office. They had been left behind to run the operation and while they were both capable people it was not fun to be left behind. The paperwork was horrendous at the best of times but with half the Core Team missing they were loaded down even more.

Lula was busy planning for the wedding and Bobby wondered if he would even have time to see Jessie.

She was a medical researcher in a level 3 lab. He had heard that labs were sending over their best researchers for three week periods to Liberia to try to help find a vaccine to stop the Ebola crisis paralyzing that part of Africa. It was on a volunteer basis but so far he had not heard that their lab was on the list.

His heart clenched in fear at the possibility.

Was this how Stephanie felt every time she knew that Ranger was going in the wind? If so, the fact that she had continued each day to do her job and go around each day knowing that she might never see him again must have torn her up inside.

He could learn a lot from Stephanie and he silently sent a prayer her way wishing her success.

~~~o0o~~~

Les stepped into the back where the two beds were locked down.

Veronica was sleeping but Stephanie was awake and he headed her way.

He stopped by her and leaning over, he gave a quick kiss to her forehead.

"Are you OK, Beautiful?"

Stephanie squeezed his hand, and whispering very quietly spoke.

"Yea, Les, I'm fine. Everything has been so fast and all I seem to do is lay around and watch as people scurry here and there. I'm having to get my head around going to Sweden but I want to be well, Les. I want to be able to live my life without worrying about fainting or feeling so tired I can't put one foot in front of the other."

He squeezed her hand in support.

Les pulled out the little keychain and with a small safety pin, he attached it to her hospital johnny near her left shoulder.

"A very good friend told me once that this little guy is good luck and that I should pass it on if I thought it would help. Well, I have found a friend who I think could use the good luck so I'm giving this to you."

He looked at her as she smiled.


	23. Chapter 23

**Thanks to JE for allowing us to borrow her characters, and thank you for your kind and thoughtful reviews. All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 23

There was an ambulance waiting as they rolled to a stop at the private apron, but also a Customs Officials' car sat waiting.

James headed to the door and unlocking it, released the steps. Two men climbed the stairs and walked into the plane.

They made hand motions that everyone was to remain seated and looked around. There appeared to be nothing that triggered their suspicions and received the folder that James had in his hand. One paged through it and one started to look at the passports of the passengers.

He was taking his time and checking for body posture, or tension in the eyes. The other man headed into the back of the plane with the folder in his hands.

He observed the two hospital beds and his eyebrows raised slightly. Sophia was standing up and was checking Stephanie's blood pressure and he watched with interest as she looked at the results, marking them down on the clipboard. Her face was carefully blank.

She apologized as she slipped by him, moved toward the doorway and called for Dr. Starzinski.

He looked at the official for permission and with a slight nod of consent he stood up.

He walked to where Sophia was standing near the doorway and there was a whispered conversation.

The doctor looked at one official and spoke.

"My patient needs to be in the clinic as soon as possible. I don't want to rush you but could we get her into the ambulance?"

He looked back at Stephanie.

The man shrugged and spoke to his counterpart. Everything seemed fine and they nodded that the inspection was complete.

Les moved to the open doorway and signalled for the gurney to be brought on board and two attendants moved swiftly to where Les was pointing.

The officials had moved to the side and watched the proceedings.

One who appeared to be the senior Customs Agent spoke as the other began to use his stamp.

"Everything seems fine. I understand that you will be leaving tomorrow morning. How many are staying?"

James pointed to Ranger, the doctor and Stephanie who had just been wheeled out.

They made a note on their file and nodded.

They watched as the ambulance pulled away with both Ranger and Dr. Starzinski sitting in the ambulance. The lights and siren were on and all could hear the plaintive tone of the ambulance siren as it raced away.

A cabbie had now pulled up and waited patiently for his fare to emerge.

The customs men pulled away as the luggage was stowed and four people climbed into the cab and sat waiting to be driven to their hotel.

They looked at each other and shrugged. Somebody had a lot of money.

~~~o0o~~~

Ranger had managed to sit by Stephanie's head on the ride to the clinic. He was holding her hand and noted that her color was off. Dr. Starzinski found himself in the front passenger seat as they raced down the road.

They pulled into an indoor entrance and the attendants hopped out. They rolled her right into a room and staff were waiting. Ranger was shooed into a waiting room and left to cool his heels.

He pulled out his phone and pressed a button.

Tank answered.

"We landed and she's already being cared for. Not sure but something is going on because they're moving pretty fast here getting her ready for whatever they need to do. "

Tank spoke.

"Yeah, if I can get back in I'll pass on your thoughts. Will advise."

He hung up and waited.

He watched as a man in a white lab coat who certainly carried himself like a doctor walked into the room with Dr. Starzinski following. He checked his watch. Ten minutes, fifteen minutes, twenty minutes. He thought it was taking too long.

They walked out and headed toward him and he was standing waiting for whatever they wanted to impart.

"I don't believe we can wait until tomorrow morning to operate. I've booked a suite for the first opening. If you want to see her, now would be a good time."

Both men walked down the hall, gesturing slightly and talking softly to each other.

Ranger slipped into the room and observed a bevy of nursing staff getting Stephanie prepared to head upstairs. Her hair was already in a surgical bonnet and there were IV's in both arms. She was already in a different hospital johnny with the ties in the front.

She looked toward the door as Ranger walked in. Her smile was tiny but genuine and she spoke

"I was hoping that you'd be allowed in. I guess I'm causing some trouble here and they want to do this right away instead of waiting."

Ranger walked to her side as the nursing staff walked out the door.

He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

"Babe, you never like to do things the normal way so why change now? Anyway, the waiting would have driven you crazy so might as well get the show on the road so that we can have more time to look around Stockholm before we head back."

He watched as her eyes softened.

She gripped his hand.

"I'm glad that you're here. I wouldn't have been able to go through this without your strength to buck me up, Batman."

He nodded. She spoke again. He could see that she was having trouble with talking. Obviously the pre-op sedative was taking hold.

"If something happens..."

Ranger looked into her eyes.

"Babe, you're going to wake up to my face with the biggest grin that I can muster. I have a very good feeling about this. You are strong, Babe and you are going to be jumping around before you know it. Besides that, you need to keep an eye on Les after your last stunt. I know he's waiting for an opportunity to get you back."

She smiled up at him and as she was about to speak, the door opened and a gurney was wheeled in.

Stephanie pulled Ranger down to speak to him in his ear.

The porters swiftly shifted her from the bed onto the gurney and strapping her in they pushed her out the door. A nurse was standing waiting as Ranger stood watching.

"There is a waiting room down the hall and you can wait there. We'd let you know how it goes."

He watched as she walked out the door. He swallowed and headed to the room, thinking about what Stephanie had said.

~~~o0o~~~

Sophia settled Veronica in her bed in the suite and came out of the room. Joe was sitting in the little sitting area pushing channel buttons on the tv remote. He finally found an English channel and settled down.

Sophia sat down next to him and leaned her head again his shoulder. It would be another long day tomorrow and then another day back to Sweden to pick up the doctor for the return trip. As she had forecast, it didn't appear that they would see much in the way of the countries except through a plane or hotel window.

He put his arm around her shoulders and let her relax against him. She fell asleep in his warm embrace and mumbled as she started to drift off.

"We could pretend this is a honeymoon."

Joe sat there. For some reason he had felt the need to put all the marriage forms in his bag the evening before. He had no idea why he did it but it was a strong enough reason that he had gotten out of bed in the middle of the night and retrieved it from his safe.

He took out his phone and made a call.

~~~o0o~~~

Bobby snuck off for a few hours. Tank was holding down the fort and he was only a phone call away.

Jessie was just coming off shift and he wanted to, no, he needed to see her and hold her in his arms.

He let himself into her apartment with his key and listened to the shower running in the bathroom. Smiling he noticed a trail of clothes like breadcrumbs in the forest leading to the closed door and without thinking he also disrobed, walking in. He could see a figure through the frosted glass and opening the door carefully he slid in. Jessie jumped at the cold air invading the stall then his hands sliding around her and soaping her tiny breasts. He had gentle hands and as he massaged her skin up and down, she arched in arousal. Her body literally started to tingle at the attention. She noted that her breasts were not the only thing at attention as she leaned back.

She hoped they had lots of water in the hot water tank.

~~~o0o~~~

Ranger paced around the room. He had already drank three cups of strong coffee as he waited for news.

He heard footsteps coming down the hall; two sets of footsteps, and he was standing by the door as both doctors walked in. He looked at their eyes for some advance warning what they were about to say but their faces were professionally blank.

Ranger didn't swallow in fear much, but he cleared his throat.

Dr. Starzinski let Dr. Olson speak.

"It's a good thing you could get her here as soon as you did. Ms. Plum was literally at the end of her rope, as I think you Americans like to say. Saying that, the Clip has been inserted and she is in Recovery as we speak. Her color has already improved and her signs are encouraging. I don't want to give you false hope but obviously the next 24 hours are critical whether this procedure will improve her quality of life."

He shook Ranger's hand and walked out leaving Dr. Starzinski to explain or answer any further questions.

Ranger waited and Ted Starzinski spoke.

"Amazing, just amazing. What such a small piece of equipment can do to improve someone's life is going to be a real breakthrough for a lot of patients. Saying that, I am honored that you allowed me to tag along to observe how it works and I look forward to when the device is approved. I have a number of patients who are or will be benefitting from this procedure."

He looked at Ranger. He had a tired look but also almost an apprehensive manner and took pity on him. He too had been through so much since Stephanie had been shot.

Maybe now they could get on with life.

'If all goes well, and professionally I don't see a problem right now, she should be up and sitting in a chair very soon. Next is walking up and down the hall, then short walks outside. It sounds like the usual procedure being that they want you here for about a week and then you can go home."

He watched as Ranger nodded. He was back in control.

"When can I see her?"

Dr. Starzinski nodded to the nursing station.

"I advised them that she needed security on her and you were prepared to stay in her room the entire time. They had no problem with that and after they get her back in her room you can go in."

Ranger nodded and watched as the doctor left. He had a visiting medical suite for his use and would be heading home with the plane as soon as it returned. He had patients to see and plans to make.

Ranger headed for the washroom and returned ready to take up his position as Stephanie's security detail. He wanted to be there when she woke up. He had a promise to keep, and an answer.

~~~o0o~~~

Les watched as James lifted off the ground.

It would be another long leg on the flight but the last leg. Everyone was tired and a bit cranky and Sophia had had a bit of trouble keeping Veronica calmed down. It was taking too long, it was bumpy and she was cold.

Sophia was patient with her charge but her mannerisms were becoming a bit on the professional side. No longer was she trying to make small talk, just performing her checks and nothing else.

Veronica seemed to sense the chilliness in the air, and it was not the air conditioning.

She put her hand out and laid it on Sophia's arm.

"I'm sorry."

Sophia nodded her head and the ice was broken.

Veronica looked out and down. They had flown over land and water and were now over land again. She seemed to sense that she was over her homeland and sighed. Home, she was almost home.

Les landed the plane and taxied to where the tower had directed him. Once again there was a Customs Officials car waiting for them.

This time, when the senior official saw who was on board he was respectful and didn't want to waste time, but his partner was acting suspiciously, wanting more details on how long they would be staying and who returning in the plane.

Not finding anything that they could call it out on, they motioned that they were free to leave their seats.

James waited until they had driven off, then he scooted into the back of the plane, motioning both Joe and Les to follow him to a wall. He opened up the weapons locker and safe and watched as they both selected both hand guns and long rifles.

Les was methodically adding his own personal protection with shoulder harness and ankle sheath. He looked at Joe and shook his head. One pistol and one long rifle was not enough in case of trouble. Joe only slightly hesitated then he dressed in the same manner as Les. It never paid to underestimate the enemy.

James secured his own shoulder harness and slipped his personal weapon in the holster. He placed a Glock in the small of his back and covered it with his now-hanging-down shirt. He buckled on the ankle sheath and slipped in his lucky knife.

Les and Joe had held a whispered conversation away from Veronica's ears. They were not expecting trouble but trouble was always just around the corner. Veronica knew Les and would want him near her and Joe was prepared to be the ever-watching security force. He had impressed on Les that Sophia was very, very important to him and while it was his job to watch Veronica he also needed to keep Sophia safe.

Joe stood by outside the plane watching both along the runway and the buildings as Sophia and Les accompanied Veronica down the stairs. There was a limosine waiting by the steps and they helped her inside. The driver was ordered to stay in the car in case of a need to leave swiftly.

Sophia slid in beside her and her face looked worried. Veronica was having trouble with all the travel and her signs were nearing a cause-for-concern stage. Sweat glistened on her brow and her hands were shaking as she held her cane in front of to her home as soon as possible and into her own bed would be a very best case scenario right now.

Joe waited until Les had seated himself down in the back seat facing both Sophia and Veronica before he hopped into the front seat of the car and they sped away. There was a lorry sitting waiting by the plane and James was motioning for the bags to be placed in the back.

He planned to stay with the plane and ensure that nobody tampered with it before he left again. He had personally arranged for the fuel to be delivered and he had insisted on a password before they commenced any type of fuelling. He also had in the plane a tiny testing kit to ensure that before any fuel was pumped into the tanks that what they were putting in the plane was the right octane.

Many planes had been lost due to improper fuel and he was damn sure that he was not going to be a statistic if he could help it.

There had already been plans drawn up that Joe and Sophia return the next day and they would make tracks out of there back to Sweden.

James would be flying a bit illegally when they left. The co-pilot had missed his connection and would not be making the flight to Sudan to help him. He was now directed to fly to Stockholm and meet them there.

James shrugged his shoulders. He had no co-pilot on board for the long flight but since Les had flown almost the entire trip on the way down, he had had a chance to grab a nap and he felt confident that he could handle the chore. He could stop at Barcelona for more fuel and if he had to, and could take another quick nap while the plane was being attended to.

Hector had come through and would have already processed papers signifying that Joe was fully qualified in flying this aircraft and there would be very official looking papers attesting to the fact. They had been faxed to the plantation and were waiting for pickup when they arrived.

James chuckled to himself. Joe had no idea that he was on the planes' log as a back-up pilot. He wondered if he'd ever sat in a cockpit, let alone flown a plane. He must ask him when he got back. Boy, would he be surprised.

He might be surprised at the grayness of this mission, but if he gave them any trouble James was prepared with a hypo and Joe and/or Sophia might have a nice long nap on the now empty beds.

The fuel truck arrived right on schedule and after testing that it was the proper grade, James watched every movement as they refuelled the plane. He only stepped back into the interior after they had departed, pulling up the steps and locking the door. It was not the most friendly of places to spend the night.

~~~o0o~~~

Joe, Sophia and Les watched as Veronica stepped out of the limo. She refused help and pulling herself up to her full height walked with as much dignity as she could up the steps and into the house. The workers bowed as she entered and she spoke to each of them by name. She headed to her bedroom with the idea of freshening up before supper.

The door closed and after waiting what seemed a proper time, Sophia followed her, knocking at the door politely then turning the handle and walking in, closing the door behind her.

What she found as she closed the door was a woman who was slumped in a chair by the door, too tired to move any further.

Sophia stepped to her side and gently helped to lift her up, walked her to the bed and helped her to lay down. She took off her shoes and pulled a cover over her.

Veronica was already sleeping and the lines on her face showed she was in pain.

Dr. Starzinski had slipped a few syringes of pain medicine to her and she injected her, watching as her face began to relax.

There was a note on the table stating that her personal doctor would be dropping by after supper for a 'consultation'.

Sophia made her checks and settled down in a chair beside the bed. Officially as soon as the doctor arrived, her job would be done but until then Veronica was her patient and she would administer health care as needed until then.

~~~o0o~~~

Joe and Les sat in the living room and watched as staff brought them something to drink and a light snack.

Joe watched as a man stepped into the doorway and waited.

Les stood up and walking to the man, he held out his hand.

The man wiped his feet on the rug and walked into the room, sitting in a straight-backed wooden chair almost at attention.

Joe watched with interest.

Les walked back and sat down in a soft club style chair. He nodded to Ralph and then to Joe.

"Joe Morelli, this is Ralph, the Foreman of this plantation. He has worked for Veronica for a long time and worked his way up from slave, to now Foreman."

He nodded at Ralph.

"As Foreman, the last time I was in Africa, I had the pleasure of marrying he and his now bride, Sara. He tells me that they are expecting their first child soon and he can't wait to be a father."

Joe looked from Ralph to Les and then back. Slave? Did they still have slaves?

Les looked at Joe and shrugged. Like it or not, it was still happening. The African government had changed the official name to 'bonded laborer', but the meaning was still the same. Les spoke to Ralph in the local Sudanese Arabic dialect and they both nodded. Ralph pointed to a bag sitting on the floor in the hall and Les smiled.

Ralph stood up. He had presented his compliments and it was time to get back to work.

He nodded at Joe and walked out. He had people to look after and the crops were maturing nicely. Soon it would be time to harvest.

Joe was still looking at Les and he decided to elaborate a bit.

"I was on assignment for a government project here a number of years ago. Veronica kindly allowed me to use this plantation as a cover and while I was working here I was gathering information. She was a hard taskmaster but I learned a lot about human nature. These people are her children and she is and was trying to give them a sense of self-worth at the same time as contributing to her bank account. Of course she has and will think of herself first, but in her own way she has contributed to the black movement in Africa and here in Sudan. This is the last area with slaves and she has been working to have that abolished."

He looked around at the beautiful home. Yes, it had been built on the backs of black workers but most of them outside were now free and working here of their own free will.

A maid walked into the room and asked when they wished to eat. Les had already discussed with Sophia what her preference would be and she stated that until her patient was turned over to a health care professional she would stay in the room with Veronica, or whichever room Veronica chose to move to.

She would emerge when her job was done and it was time to leave.

Joe and Les headed to the dining room and there was a table set with two settings.

Young women stood by to cater to their every whim and the first course was served. It was a cold soup and they both dug in. Airplane food was OK and Ella had prepared a wonderful selection, but it was still nice to sit at a real table and eat.

As they finished the soup it was smoothly removed from the table. Another girl placed a salad in front of them, then a main meal, and finally a light and tasty dessert.

Coffee and liqueurs were served in the den along with cigars.

It had been a long day and they headed to their rooms. Les was situated in the room directly beside Veronica's with a locking door between them. He checked and the door was now unlocked.

He knocked softly and Sophia opened it. Les spoke a few words to her and pointed to a room just down the hall. She nodded and softly thanked him, walking down and knocking on the door.

It opened and she walked in, closing it softly behind her. Les heard the lock engage and he settled down in the chair beside the bed. He figured he would be sitting in that chair for awhile, and for any number of days after they left.

He wondered if Hector had come through. It was the least of what Rangeman could do, under the circumstances.


	24. Chapter 24

**Well over 300 reviews and I cannot thank you enough for your thoughtful notes. Reviews are ALMOST as good as money and they are much appreciated and keep me on my toes. All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 24

Morning arrived.

Sophia stepped out of the bedroom and Joe and Les were waiting for her. The doctor was back. Last evening he had visited and while he had only stayed a short time, he had left his personal phone number with Sophia, just in case.

Veronica had begun to have trouble breathing and even with oxygen she was gasping slightly.

Sophia looked at the men. She and Joe were supposed to be leaving today. Les had been awake all night guarding the door and keeping the curious away.

The doctor came out of the room and looked at the small group.

"Miss Veronica wants to see Leonard."

He walked down the hallway heading to the stairs and some breakfast.

Les looked at the two standing there and walking to the door, he softly knocked then without waiting for an answer, he slipped inside.

Veronica was laying in bed leaning against some large pillows behind her. She had a portable tank of oxygen beside her on the floor and the plastic line snaked its way up and the clip was in her nostrils. There was a soft hiss as the oxygen flowed.

She held up a hand and Les walked to her, taking her hand in his.

She put her other hand over his and patted his hand then motioned for him to sit down on the edge of the bed.

He looked at her. He could see that he would not be staying in her employ too long. She had stayed strong enough to get home and here she wanted to die. Her face was that gray color that foretold her time was short.

She spoke.

"Leonard, once again I am asking if you would like this, my first plantation. It was always my favorite and I would be honored if you took it for your own."

Les shook his head.

"Veronica, my heart is not in Africa and I want to be back in the US with my family and friends. As I mentioned before, and it is my opinion only, I think you should turn it over to Self Help Africa. It is a good organization and they want to make the world easier for the black people of Africa. You have a good set of field hands and an excellent leadership structure here. While you profited from their labour you also gave them a sense of worth. So many of your workers stayed after they gained their freedom papers. They wanted to work for you."

He looked around at the furnishings.

"They learned to farm from your employees and if they can pass on their knowledge it would help the poverty that is so rampant in your country."

She nodded her head in agreement. Her lawyer was on his way with some papers and they had much to discuss.

Her eyes settled on a small statue of a man working and a woman standing behind him. It was sitting on a table by the window.

Veronica motioned that he should bring it to her and Les stood up and picking up the statue, he brought it to her in the bed.

She caressed it with her hands and her eyes softened.

"A slave given up by his family when he was but a youngster carved this for me when I gave him his freedom papers. He stayed on and worked for me until he passed away in an accident. This was something I treasured because the look in his eyes made me appreciate all that I had done for my people.

I want you to have this, Leonard."

Les looked from the little statue to Veronica and taking it gently from her hands, he nodded.

She took a deep breath and spoke again.

"I am releasing you from your offer to stay with me. My time is near and I want you to go home on the plane with Sophia and her man. My people will watch over me."

Leonard shook his head no. A promise was a promise and he had said he would stay.

She took his hand in hers and squeezed.

"You can't refuse a dying person's wish, Leonard. I want you to go home and get on with your life. I appreciate all that you did but it is time to leave."

Les leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. How could he refuse this last request.

He stood up from the bed and taking the tiny statue, he walked to the door. As he pressed down on the knob to leave, he turned around and spoke.

"Veronica, if you had been 40 years younger, I would have courted you until you said yes."

With that he walked out, closing the door softly behind him.

Veronica lay there with tears on her cheeks. There were only two men in her life who she would have married and he was one of them.

Sophia was standing downstairs in the dining room with the doctor. He was briefing her on his examination.

"She will not suffer due to the pain medication I have prescribed. I would estimate maybe a week at the most. She is ready and her body is supporting that idea. I have already arranged for round-the-clock nursing for her so you can relax in the fact that she will not be alone."

Sophia nodded. She felt sad that Veronica had so little time left but she was grateful that Rangeman had managed to get her home in time. She looked at Joe as he ate his breakfast. They would be leaving soon and the limo was parked at the door with their bags already in the trunk.

Les came down the stairs and stopped in the dining room. He had his duffle in his hand and dropping it by the door he sat down in a chair.

"I'm returning with you. Veronica released me, even though I offered to stay. She seemed worried that I needed to head back with you and get on with my life."

He toyed with the plate of food now in front of him.

The doctor excused himself and walked back to the stairs. He would check her once more before the nursing staff arrived. He had to leave instructions and he wanted to hear Veronica's wishes.

The doorbell rang and an older man stepped through the door. He was carrying a large briefcase and he was dressed in a formal suit complete with tails. A member of the staff walked him up the stairs.

Les looked at Joe and Sophia.

"The lawyer."

They stood up and headed for the door.

A number of the staff bowed to them as they walked out. The limo driver was standing by the back door waiting patiently for them to climb in. He grabbed Les's duffle and added it to the others in the trunk.

They pulled away and headed back to the airport. All three looked back through the back window at the house standing near the trees. They watched the men and women working in the fields as they drove by. Some waved but most were bent over never looking up.

The limo pulled up to the plane and as they climbed out, the door and the steps dropped down.

James was standing in the doorway but he didn't look relaxed.

His eyes expressed surprise as he noted Les walking toward the plane but he never spoke as he began to take the bags and load them in the various compartments.

The three clamored aboard.

Suddenly there was dust in the distance and it looked like a number of vehicles were coming their way. Joe noticed first and shouted a warning. James and Les raced to the cockpit and starting snapping switches and pushing buttons. Joe was hurrying to get the steps and the door closed and locked.

He looked back at Sophia and motioned for her to lay on the floor and away from the windows.

The plane began to move and picking up speed it was racing down the runway, unfortunately toward the incoming vehicles.

James yelled from the pilot's seat. "Get down and hang on."

Both he and Les pulled back as hard as they could on the yokes and the plane practically jumped straight up into the sky. There were some pings on the fuselage but as they gained altitude they also gained speed.

Joe was laying overtop Sophia protecting her and she was shaking as she held onto him. Never in her wildest imagination had she thought about someone attacking them.

James banked the plane and they started back to their destination. Les climbed out of the co-pilots seat and went to check for damage. He came back shaking his head.

"They caught us with a few bullets but I plugged them as good as I could. I don't think we can fly at cruising altitude because of the cabin pressure issues though."

James nodded. He was on the headphones alerting traffic control that due to a mechanical issue with cabin pressure he would need to adjust his altitude.

They came back with, "Are you declaring an emergency at this time?"

James sounded cool and calm as he spoke.

"Not at this time, control."

Sophia was trying to push Joe off her. They were in the air and safe. Finally he agreed and scrambling to his feet he assisted her to hers, then continued to hold her against him. She was shaking like a leaf. While she was aware of her father's 'activities', she had never felt in danger and had never been subjected to an attack of any kind.

While he was used to bullets flying, Joe was not used to the woman he loved in harms' way. Well, as he helped her to a seat, he was not used to Sophia in harms' way. Unfortunately Stephanie had had her share of bullets and exploding cars and things happening to her but this was a whole new ball game.

Sophia was trying to calm herself as she sat down. Unfortunately, she looked across at the seat facing her and noticed a bullet hole in the seat back cushion. Her eyes locked onto that hole and she froze.

Joe looked at her and where she was looking and his face also lost color. Close, so very, very close.

He pulled her off the seat and moved her across the aisle to the other set of seats, checking for more bullet holes.

Joe sat down and pulled her onto his lap. He needed to hold her and reassure her and also himself that they were safe and on the way home.

Sophia fell asleep leaning against Joe's hard, muscular chest. She'd been up all night with Veronica and everything was now catching up with her. His strong arms were wrapped around her, and she could feel his heart beating a bit faster than normal. She felt safe there and snuggled down.

Les and James were quietly discussing their options.

They needed to get out of Africa before even attempting a landing. Les was perusing a map and his finger traced its way to Barcelona, Spain. If they stayed low enough and didn't make any radical course changes they could get back there. Fortunately they had the fuel in the wing tanks but it would be close. They were using way more fuel than if they could fly at a higher altitude but the fact that they had to remain below 17,000 feet meant that their fuel would be drained faster.

Rangeman had a contact there at the airport and could make some rudimentary repairs so that they could continue. James had tentatively planned on refuelling there anyway, and to take a nap, but it appeared that they might be staying, at the very least overnight or even longer now.

~~~o0o~~~

Ranger was in the room as Stephanie was rolled in. She was still groggy from the anesthetic but she opened her eyes wide enough to see him leaning over her. He was smiling his 1000 watt smile and she squeezed his hand.

Her eyes drifted closed again and he settled himself in the chair.

The staff brought him a tray and watching her sleep, he downed a fruit cup, and a salad. He had had enough coffee for awhile and greedily drank the bottle of water on the tray.

Stephanie stirred again.

Ranger stood over her and her lips were greeted to a tender kiss.

She shifted slightly and marvelled that the pain from the procedure was a lot less than she had expected. She looked down and it looked like her stomach was a bit on the inflated side. It almost looked like she was pregnant.

A nurse came in and checked her over, all the while noting that Ranger was standing in the room watching carefully. They had been advised that he was a personal security guard and was not leaving the room as long as the patient was there.

Nodding she walked out.

The door opened again and both Dr. Olson and Dr. Starzinski walked in. They had their professional faces on but Ranger noted that their shoulders were still free of tension and their hands were relaxed as they held clipboards.

Dr. Olson spoke.

"Miss Plum, the operation was a success and we are extremely confident of a positive result for you. Now, you probably don't feel like walking around right now, but you will be sitting in a chair soon and then a short walk down the hall. You will stay overnight so that we can continue to monitor you and then you are free to leave the clinic and stay somewhere in Stockholm. We want you back every day for the next three days and then you can make plans to leave our beautiful city to head back home."

He looked at Dr. Starzinski standing beside him.

"Your specialist and I have been getting to know each other and when this device is approved, he is already knowledgeable with its intended benefits."

He looked at Ranger.

"Thank you for allowing Ted here to travel with you on the plane. I am pleased that more patients will be saved from further deterioration of their health with the knowledge that he is the first surgeon in your country who will be approved to use it to treat patients.

Ranger held Stephanie's hand and his thumb was making gentle, methodical trips back and forth along the top of her hand.

He looked at the two doctors then back at his Babe.

"On behalf of Stephanie and myself, let me first thank you for accepting her in your clinic for the Clip and second, I can see that she is already looking so much stronger."

He looked down at his Babe.

"Do you have any questions, Babe?"

She nodded her head, and pointed to her stomach.

"I look pregnant. Is there something you want to tell me?"

Both surgeons chuckled and Ted Starzinski spoke.

"With this procedure they make two tiny holes in your belly, then literally blow it up so that they can get a good view with the camera in there to see what they are looking at. The air in your chest will slowly disappear and by tomorrow you will be looking more like yourself."

He waited for more questions but it appeared that they were done and the two doctors waved and walked out.

A nurse came in and checking her over stated, "In an hour or so we will get you into a chair for a few minutes. We want you to start clearing your lungs so be prepared. We want you to also use the washroom at that time."

Stephanie looked over at Ranger as the nurse left. She had continued to wonder why medical staff always used the term 'we'. Well, when were 'we' going to go to the bathroom?

Stephanie tried to raise the bed a bit and Ranger reached over and helped her to re-position herself. He could see that she was starting to dwell on something and he waited her out. It could be anything from when they were going home to how was Les, Joe and Sophia and if he had heard from them.

Ranger sat down on the edge of the bed.

Stephanie looked over and asked.

"Any word from anyone and if they are on their way back?"

Ranger nodded his head. He had received a call from Tank and had been appraised of the problems.

"They might be delayed in Barcelona, Babe. Mechanical issues with the plane but everyone is fine. They figure sometime tomorrow or the next day."

He had not mentioned about the damage to the aircraft or that Les was returning with them. He hadn't mentioned about getting shot at. He didn't want her to worry.

She picked at the hospital blanket and looked up slightly at him. Would he mention what she had asked him before she was taken upstairs?

Ranger stood up and walking even closer to her, he sat down once again on the edge of the bed. He could feel the object in his pants pocket.

"Babe, I would be willing to take on the position of Rex's adoptive dad. At the same time, since you two are a package deal, I ..."

TBC

**A/N - a cliffie; me?**

**Oh, BTW, it is Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday and I will be stuffing the turkey and getting ready for a full house so will post on Tuesday.**

**Myrna**


	25. Chapter 25

"Babe, I would be willing to take on the position of Rex's adoptive dad. At the same time, since you two are a package deal, I..."

~~~o0o~~~

**Janet Evanovich owns these characters and I love them dearly. All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 25

"want in on the package deal, Babe. I want to be near you, and around you for as long as I live."

He paused to clear his throat, a very un-Ranger move.

"Stephanie Plum. You make my heart race with fear, excitement, desire and happiness. I never dreamed that I would ever be in a place that I was unsure how to solve a situation, but the first moment that I spent with you so very long ago, I knew that I wanted to be there as your problem-solver."

He looked at her as she had leaned forward, as if preparing herself to slide her feet over the edge of the bed.

He shook his head. She never could stay down for long. She had been through so much. She had that moment in time where she had doubted herself and those around her but who alive had never doubted themselves even once?

He spoke again.

"Easy Babe. I don't want to have to call for help until after I've asked for your hand in marriage. You might think that it's one of those Kodak moments but as you know I rarely do things unplanned."

He slid off the edge of the bed, looking at Stephanie once again leaning back against the now elevated bed.

He pulled out the little box from his pocket, opened it and turned it toward her, never taking his eyes off her face.

He knelt down on one knee and taking her left hand in his, he looked up at her and spoke.

"Stephanie Plum, I'm asking for your hand in marriage. I know we've promised that talk but I want to have a lifetime to talk with you, about you and if I can manage to help it, not just to you. I want to shout to the world that you are the strongest woman I know. I want to whisper how much I love you to you not just every evening or first thing in the morning but during the day, in my office, your office or in a meeting."

He was about to go on but Stephanie had slipped out of the bed. She stood carefully on somewhat unsteady legs and put her arms around his neck as he quickly stood up, pulling his head down closer to her.

"Carlos Manoso, I accept your offer of marriage. Rex needs a daddy and I certainly need somebody that I can trust to watch over me and keep me out of trouble. I want you to be that man I can trust with my heart and my life. I want to walk beside you as we travel through life together. I want us to be strong together as we embark on our journey."

Her strength began to wane and she started to sag against him, but he carefully scooped her up like a bride and sat down in the easy chair with her on his lap.

She spoke again.

"I was willing to be whatever in your life you could offer, and the fact that this ring signifies that while we want an official title, it still begs the fact that we're both rather uncomfortable with some parts of marriage. I continue to believe that I am not mother material and I can't cook, and I hate cleaning, and I wash the darks with the whites accidently, and I..."

Ranger put a finger to the side of her chin gently turning her face to him and kissed her, stopping any more discussion.

"We have Ella and when she wants to retire, we'll find another Ella, Babe. As for the mother part, how about we petition to have Julie sometimes and pretend that we can handle parenthood."

Stephanie nodded her head. Ranger always had a logical reason or solution and she could find no fault with anything he had just said.

She played with a button on his shirt, thinking.

"I want to work, Ranger, in fact I need to work. I will go nuts sitting around and I need to be doing something."

He nodded. In the back of his mind was still running around the meeting with his financial advisor. He had supported the idea of a new branch and was doing his own research and looking at viable alternatives. She would be a great help with the planning and setting up. She loved to think outside of the box and sometimes you needed a person on your team with that ability.

Just then, a nurse came into the room. If she looked surprised at seeing Stephanie already out of bed and in Ranger's lap she gave no indication other than a raised eyebrow. Once again Stephanie wondered if everybody possessed that talent and if she had somehow missed the memo.

She looked at them sitting down and nodded her head.

"I'll come back when I think you've been in that chair long enough."

Stephanie looked at Ranger.

"I may have to be put back in that bed, Mr. Manoso, but I am not willing to be in that or any bed alone too much longer."

He raised his eyebrow and a smile tugged at his lips. It appeared like he was already being given his marching orders. He almost said, 'Yes, ma'am'.

She leaned against his strong chest and sighed. She was in the right place, relaxing in his embrace and feeling safe. No scary monsters were coming for her today, or for that matter, ever again. Her Grandma had been right.

She had whispered to Stephanie while she lay in that hospital bed in Trenton that life was too short and denying what was in front of her eyes was one of those revelations. Take what you already had and run with it, baby granddaughter.

The nurse returned and just nodded toward the bed. She was about to ask if she needed to assist but noted on her file that her big, very, very strong bodyguard appeared used to carrying the patient and gently laid her back in the bed.

Her mind wondered. This looked like a movement performed before? They had been advised that her personal bodyguard would be in the room at all times. Was he only a bodyguard, because she was sure she would like one like that.

Her eye caught the flash on Ms. Plum's left hand. That had not been there before she went into surgery.

~~~o0o~~~

The Gulfstream G250 landed back in Stockholm. It had been a few days later than they planned, but the way it was looking, everyone would be heading home on the plane together.

Stephanie had bounced back surprisingly well and both doctors were extremely pleased with the result. They had marked down that in their professional opinion it was due to the extremely good physical shape she was in before her set-back. They were going to add that to their research and try to impress on possible future candidates that if at all possible they work on some level of fitness plan before they had the procedure.

Dr. Starzinski had been given the option of flying home commercially or waiting for the plane and he had chosen to stay. Just the idea of the flight connections and the delays in airports made the decision easy. He had contacted his office and had his appointments re-scheduled. He had been concerned about his surgery schedule but had been assured that his operating schedule would not be affected by a few more days away. The suite in the doctors complex was still available and he had been allowed to observe more procedures on inserting the Mitra Clip in patients.

In addition, as soon as he returned home, he made a promise to himself that he was going to petition the Food and Drug Administration and the Physicians Association of America that delaying the approval of the Mitra Clip was placing undue stress on patients across the US and that the positive results from the procedure meant that patients who would certainly benefit from the procedure were being unduly penalized due to the delay.

~~~o0o~~~

As promised, Stephanie was released the next morning and they settled in a hotel close to the clinic.

Stephanie and Ranger had taken a few short trips into the heart of Stockholm and as Ranger was fluent in Swedish, they were able to move around freely. Ranger had made the excursions short since Stephanie still needed to rest each day but they had been seeing the sights of Stockholm, together. They had walked hand in hand as they toured.

First, since Stephanie was still recovering, they had taken a cab ride through Gamla Stan, or Old Town. It was situated on an island and the architecture was breathtaking. After Stockholm, America itself looked like a newborn country and the strong and picturesque structures spoke for themselves. They drove past the medieval street layout, checking out the Tyska kyrkan (German Church), the Riddarhuset (House of Nobility), and the Bonde, Tessin and Oxenstierna Palaces.

The next day, feeling stronger, Stephanie and Ranger had walked past the Stockholm Palace and then viewed the Cathedral next door. Almost as if they had ESP together they had stopped in at the large Cathedral.

They had been met in the doorway by the priest and he had invited them into his office. He had been polite but appeared a bit confused that they were not who he was expecting.

~~~o0o~~~

Ranger relived the conversation back at the hotel.

They had walked in the front entrance and the first thing they both felt was a reverence for the building and the calming atmosphere. They had been met by the priest as they had genuflected and crossed themselves.

He had invited them into his office and sitting behind his beautiful wooden desk he had almost pulled a folder toward himself, but he had stopped his movement.

The woman had called the man beside her Carlos, and that was not the mans' name that he was expecting.

He had listened very carefully as they explained why they were in town and why they were in the church. He had explained that the paperwork to be married in Sweden if one was not Swedish was fairly extensive in nature and it usually took a sizable amount of time to pull it all together. As they had no paperwork with them from their home country there would be a waiting period after they had visited the American Embassy. Then there was the obligatory three day wait. Even if they had everything together they would need to make an appointment at the Swedish Tax Authority Department to officially register the marriage before they left Sweden or it would be a nightmare to have it transferred to their home country later.

He looked sadly at the couple as they joined hands and nodded.

They thanked the priest and as they stood up, Ranger shook his hand, speaking softly.

"Father, thank you for taking the time to listen to us and answer our questions. Would it be out of line to forward a donation to contribute to your efforts to maintain this beautiful place of worship?"

Father Olafson nodded his head slightly. He would be honored to receive such a donation of any amount and thanking them he vowed that they would be in his prayers tonight.

They walked out hand in hand and climbed into a cab that had just been flagged down.

~~~o0o~~~

Father Olafson sighed in regret. It looked like this was a youngish couple wanting to head for the next step and he had essentially squashed their plans.

He headed back to his desk wanting to peruse the file one more time. Trenton, New Jersey. There were two people also from this Trenton who had all the paperwork ready. It had all been faxed in, completely filled out and just waiting for the ceremony and the final signatures. He was a bit fuzzy on when it would happen but just in case he had parishoners who could always witness this marriage on short notice. It was happening more and more often.

Later that afternoon he noticed a youngish couple walk into his church. They were followed by a tall man who easily towered over them and carried himself confidently.

They moved up the aisle and after genuflecting and crossing themselves they approached the priest.

"Father, this is my fiancée, Sophia Antonio and I am Joseph Morelli. We live in Trenton, New Jersey in the United States. I believe that there should be a file of papers already in your possession to perform a wedding ceremony for a couple who are not of Swedish citizenship."

Joe motioned to the man standing behind them.

"This gentleman is Lester Santos who will stand with us as our attendant and witness. I'm not sure how we can call him both a Best Man and a Man of Honor, but he is in every sense of the word."

Les stepped forward and shook the priests' hand.

They looked a bit jet-lagged as if they had just travelled a long distance.

Father Olafson guided them to his office where he pulled out a third chair and sitting down behind his desk, he pulled a folder toward himself.

He perused the file noting that all the paperwork was properly completed, right down to the forms to be presented for verification after the ceremony to the Registrar downtown.

He steepled his fingers in front of his face and looked at the couple.

"I have already been in consultation with your priest at home and he advises me that you delayed your ceremony due to your father's illness. How will he feel about this happening in Sweden, child?"

Sophia sat up straight and looked the priest in the eye.

"While my parents will be initially disappointed that we have essentially eloped to get married, I think deep down they will be relieved that we are doing it this way. The stress on my father from having to delay our nuptials and the look in his eye everytime we have supper there makes this decision easy for us. We love each other Father, and we want the world to know that we are meant for each other. We don't want to live in sin by moving in together but frankly the wait is literally killing us both."

She blushed at the admission but Father Olafson smiled at her honesty.

"Well, my children, I cannot see any reason to delay this any longer. If you wish to compose yourself and wait outside in the nave, I will get myself ready to perform the ceremony."

He watched as the three of them stood up and headed out the door.

He slowly headed to his wedding robe and after donning it he kissed the stole then slipped it over his head and around his shoulders.

He gathered up his well-worn good book and the file with all the papers inside it and after a moment of reflection on what he was about to say, he slowly walked to the door. Opening it, he walked down the hallway toward the nave and the altar.

He noticed the three young people standing in front and speaking softly and he slowed his steps. Were they having second thoughts?

He watched as the lady named Sophia turned to the tall man and reaching up on tip-toes she kissed him on a cheek. Her fiancée, Joseph had his hand out and was shaking the man named Lesters' hand. It looked like they were friends, good friends.

He walked softly to the altar and setting down the papers and the book he looked at the two young people standing in front of him. They already had their hands joined together and they looked almost radiant in their love for each other and the upcoming ceremony. He thanked his God that there were such good people in the world who wanted to let God and man know of their love.

A praying parishioner had stepped outside the cathedral and was now walking down the aisle with a bouquet of flowers which she hesitantly handed to Sophia.

Sophia's eyes lit up. There in the bouquet were probably her most favorite flowers; yellow and orange mums and some baby's breath surrounding it all.

Joe reached into his pocket to pay her but the lady smiled and spoke Swedish. Les nodded his head and translated.

"I think she said that this is the 'new' of the traditional four things."

His eyes twinkled and he spoke again.

"Either that, or when you have finished with them, please return them as they were 'borrowed' from the cart outside."

Father Olafson chuckled to himself and then he became serious.

"Dearly Beloved, we stand in front of God with the intention of Sophia,"and he looked down at the folder, "Angelina Antonio, and Joseph Anthony Morelli joining in the sacred ceremony of marriage. While they are not from our beautiful country, the sacred ceremony is much the same and if you would like to speak your personal vows, this is acceptable at this time."

Joe turned toward Sophia and spoke.

"Sophia. The moment we were introduced by a good friend, I had a feeling that you were the one for me. My heart beat with the knowledge that I had found my soul mate. I love to hear your voice on the phone or in person. I gravitate to your perfume and your voice. My dog, Bob loves you with all his heart and I have been told on numerous occasions that animals have a sense about them about who is good and who is not. I want to wake up each morning with you in my arms and the first thing I see in the morning is your face and the last thing at night I want is to hold you in my arms. My family loves you and want you as part of our family and I can think of no better person to live my life with."

Sophia handed her bouquet to her Man of Honor and taking Joe's hand in hers she spoke.

"Joe, I too felt a tingle the first time I met you. While we were both very concerned about a good friend who was in the hospital and fighting for her life, I knew that you were the man I wanted to live my life with. The fact that our friend, Stephanie is feeling pretty smug thinking that she introduced us, I feel very strongly that with or without her guiding hand that we would have found each other. We are two souls who have found each other after floating around looking. My parents are overjoyed that you are going to be a member of the family, and while I say that loosely, we are a whole network of relatives and friends and yes, Family. I cannot guarantee that you will not be subjected to streams of relatives coming to check out 'my fella' but I promise that they will respect the fact that you are mine and I am yours. "

Father Olafson looked at Lester Santos. He cleared his throat and spoke.

"While I only really met these two a short time ago, it is not hard to see that they are two people who are very much in love. They watch out for each other, and they literally sense when one walks into a room. I support that they are very much in love and agree that they will have a very happy life together. My wish for them is continual happiness, children if they want them, and a healthy and vibrant adventure walking through life hand in hand together."

Father Olafson had closed his book and let them speak. These young people had stated in clearer words than he ever could of their love for each other and their wish for the future. He could see that they were desperately in love and while trying to make their families happy by waiting, they wanted to shout to the world their intention to make their marriage work. He could never have said it better himself.

He spoke again.

"My children, as is the custom in many parts of the world, a ring signifies the bond. The fact that it is round and has no beginning and no end ensures that being wed is a continuing exploration of a marriage."

He held out his hand and Les pulled the two bands from in his pocket and placed them in the priests' outstretched hand.

Father Olafson blessed the rings then he held them out and both Joe and Sophia took one and placing them on the ring fingers of each others left hands, they recited together, as if it had been rehearsed.

"With this, I thee wed. Forever and ever, in sickness and in health until death do us part."

Father Olafson smiled to himself. It was a formal declaration and not that many couples recited it that way anymore. But, he reasoned, they had basically performed their own ceremony anyway, wanting to have it in a church due to their wishes and he wasn't about to admonish them in any way that it should or could be different.

He lifted his hand and made the sign of the cross as he spoke.

"In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, I now pronounce you Man and Wife."

He was about to say that the groom could kiss his bride but he stopped. That too had already begun. They kissed once, twice and then, pulling away the bride kissed the man named Lester on the side of his cheek and the groom shook his hand.

He noticed that each person's smiles were happy and carefree as if a large weight had been lifted from them.

Motioning them to the table by the altar he pointed to where they should sign and smiling through previously unshed happy tears they began to pen their names.

None of them had noted that there had been flashes of light during the ceremony nor a man walking around taking their pictures from this angle or that. Finally as all the papers had been signed, he stepped forward and speaking Swedish he spoke.

This time the priest translated for him.

"Mr. Carl Sigurdson, who is a parishioner of our church is a professional photographer who happened to be praying during your ceremony. He wishes to present the sim card with the pictures as a wedding present and hope that you enjoy them as much as he did taking them. He is very well respected in Stockholm and his photographs are seen around the world in magazines and print media."

The gentleman bowed slightly and began to walk away.

Les walked toward him pulling his wallet out but his attempt was rejected with a shaking of the head and a smile. He walked out the front door of the church and disappeared down the street.

Sophia and Joe spoke to the priest afterward as they received the papers, wondering how much they owed the church.

"My children, it has already been paid for with a nice donation to the church, and I would like to thank the gentleman who so efficiently put it all together. Not often is the paperwork right the very first time. I would like you to thank a Hector when you return home. He appears to be very efficient."

Joe nodded and he looked at Les. He would thank him personally first and then this Hector. He didn't know him very well but he thought he was the one with the teardrops under his eye. How was he going to explain this to his fellow officers back at the station?

They walked out of the church into the evening light. The lights of Stockholm shone were just beginning to flicker on.

A cab pulled up to the church and Joe and Sophia looked at Les. He waved them away. This was their night to celebrate and he would certainly be a third wheel.

He looked about ready to flag another cab when his phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket to answer it.

He steeled himself and pressed the button.

Ralph was on the phone and Les nodded then spoke a few words. Veronica had just passed away and from all reports it had been peaceful. The plantation was being readied for the funeral and they were expecting a large number of people tomorrow.

Les hung up and looked out wishing her the best as she made her final journey. He thought of the little statue wrapped up and in his suitcase. He would remember her.

~~~o0o~~~

James was at the airport readying the plane for departure. He had worked long and hard in Barcelona with Jose to make the repairs on the plane so that it would pass any mechanical inspections. They couldn't fly back home with bullet holes in the fuselage and he needed to have the seat replaced upon its return. Until then, a blanket over the offending hole would suffice. He had noted that Sophia was a little shell-shocked by the sight of it and hoped that she and Joe would continue to sit on the other side. At the same time, Stephanie needed not to see it, nor the doctor. He wondered if a blanket would be enough.

The cars pulled up to the plane and the bags were loaded in the hold for departure.

Everyone was ready to go home, everyone except for Les. He dragged his feet getting out of the vehicle and was the last to head to the steps.

Stephanie watched from the window as Les continued to stand outside the plane. She wanted to get on with her life and finally stood up and headed to the door of the plane.

"Get in the plane Les, or the only position you're having in my wedding is Flower Boy."

Les looked back at the city of Stockholm and sighed. The Swedish nurses! Oh my, the Swedish nurses. He had so many names and numbers and so little time. Maybe he could spend his holidays back in Stockholm. His language skill was strong enough for a few sentences and those had been very, very successful.

James and his co-pilot readied the plane for departure, checking everything one last time while they waited for everyone to find a seat. It would be tight with not a lot of room to move around since Stephanie was now in the front of the plane and not on a hospital bed, and Les was a passenger, but James was nothing if not resourceful. After all, this plane came with 20 different configurations and what was a bit more money? He shrugged his shoulders and harrumphed to himself. He had told Ranger that they needed a bit larger model. Now that he and Stephanie were engaged, and so was Tank and Lula, he suspected that he might be flying some newlyweds somewhere soon.

**Last chapter tomorrow.**

**Myrna**


	26. Chapter 26

**Thank you to Janet Evanovich for dreaming up these characters that we so love to push around, injure, get in harms way and give them the HEA's that they so richly deserve. At the same time, thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing. I make no money from this labour of love and appreciate your thoughts. All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 26

The plane was in the air and everyone was settled in. They had all been given a flute of champagne and were holding them in their hands as Les stood at the front of the plane and spoke.

"Everybody, I am pleased to announce that while we were in Stockholm, Sophia Antonio and Joe Morelli were married in the Cathedral just a few short hours ago. Please raise your glasses as we toast Mr. and Mrs. Morelli."

As the plane erupted with cheers and shouts of 'congratulations' and 'best wishes', Les put up his hand to speak again.

"And just to make you feel really bad, finally SOMEONE around here appreciates me. These newlyweds chose me to be both Best Man AND Man of Honor at the ceremony!"

From the back of the plane, the co-pilot who had been standing there watching spoke up.

"You mean Santos, that they were so in love that they failed to see what we've known all these years. You are a man-whore and a flower child all rolled up in one. It's no wonder your mother dressed you in a dress for your christening."

The plane erupted in laughter and Les looked pained as a picture of him at his christening flashed up on the tv screen. The joking began in earnest and Les was trying to fend off the verbal jabs heading his way. He looked at Joe and Sophia and shrugged his shoulders. He bravely deflected that he must have been a poor last choice, his manhood was in doubt if he was both best man and man of honor, and last but not least, if he had been really doing his job he would have had time to gather more witnesses to attend the ceremony.

Sophia looked at Joe and standing up, she moved toward Les. He had that sad puppy face that made him look so forlorn. These people who he thought were his friends were giving him such a hard time. She put her hand on his arm and reaching up, she gave him a kiss on his cheek.

His face erupted in a smile a mile wide and he looked at her with a twinkle in his eye.

Joe spoke from his seat and growled.

"That's my wife, Santos. I'm watching you!"

The plane erupted in more laughter and the people in the plane once again began to kid Les.

He looked at Ranger and pouted.

"I was really, really trying to find someone for me but Ranger, or more specifically, Beautiful said she wanted to get home."

Joe looked around. He had boarded the plane in Trenton with the idea that he was literally surrounded by the enemy. He had classed these men as scum of the earth and thugs before leaving and now here they were toasting his new status! He looked at Les as he was standing and chatting with Ranger, catching his eye. He lifted his flute to him and the gesture was returned.

He had no idea how being back in Trenton would go. There was such a feeling of animosity between the members of the TPD and Rangeman and seeing them in action, Joe was not sure how his feelings would be. Yes, they handled things in a very gray way, but they got the job done and most of the time they came away with a successful capture or mission accomplished. Yes, they had the ability to strike absolute fear in the gang population or for that matter, anyone in their sights. He sighed and leaned back into his seat with his new bride by his side.

Sophia sat quietly with Joe. Her left hand slipped into his and he squeezed hers in understanding. She had stepped on this plane just a few short days ago assigned the duty of looking after two patients who were literally fighting for their lives; one who was fighting her body to return to her homeland in time to die and one who was fighting her body to live for another day.

Les had pulled both herself and Joe aside earlier and relayed the message from Ralph. While they had been sad that her fight had ended as soon as it had, they were relieved that she was no longer in pain and hopefully now at peace.

Stephanie was sitting in a soft leather chair watching the proceedings and she smiled, just a little. She had told Joe over and over that the men of Rangeman were honorable men. While she could still see that he had some doubts when they were back in Trenton and they might be on opposite sides of justice once again, she could see the internal battle in his facial expression.

She had a thought. What was the possibility that he might eventually join Rangeman? Stranger things had happened. There were former members of everything from the alphabet agencies to city and state police. Maybe not in Trenton, but another branch. He had such a good grasp of the streets and would make a valuable addition to the company.

She looked at Ranger and as if he could sense her thoughts, he looked from her to Joe and nodded. He'd already thought about that.

She settled back into the seat and her mind drifted to a nice Caribbean island and paradise. She had been afraid that with her large and ugly scar down her chest from the accident that she would never again feel comfortable wearing any kind of a bikini. While she had been in the clinic in Stockholm, Dr. Olson had introduced her to a plastic surgeon who specialized in large scarring. He had given her hope that modern medicine was making great strides in scar removal.

It was worth thinking about but the fact that there must be a surgeon in the US also able to help gave her some hope that while she would continue to carry the emotional scars of the past year, at least to the human eye there might be a solution.

She felt embarrassed by the scar but Ranger had been very persuasive that scars could be very useful. As he demonstrated just last evening in the hotel, his tongue had caressed each and every inch of the long scar starting from between her breasts and inching lower and lower until he reached the end. He had then licked and kissed lower and lower until he had reached her doodah. Stephanie figured that there might be a use for it after all. Three more days before they could go further.

She had observed Dr. Starzinski sitting off in a corner, typing on his computer and she wondered how these past few days would affect him. He had been secretly overjoyed to be staying longer than planned and he and Dr. Olson appeared to have became friends and fellow colleagues over the seas. No doubt that when, not if, the Mitra Clip was approved he would be one of the first specialists sanctioned for patients desperately in need of such intervention.

Stephanie looked down at her left hand. The diamond sparked from the light coming in the airplane window.

She smiled as she thought that Grandma Mazur had been right. She had her future right in front of her the entire time and while it had been a marathon bargaining session between her heart and her head, her heart had finally won.

She wanted to call Melanie and let her know. She had a suspicion that she would not be surprised by the news. She was an expert in issues and feelings.

She looked at Ranger standing and talking quietly to the pilots. He was in control, as usual. His bearing spoke of leadership and strength and power. She loved that he was big and strong and powerful one minute and gentle and tender and loving the next. Well, she backed up on that. He was gentle and tender and loving with her.

They had already discussed their future plans. Since they were both divorced, a church wedding was out and she was secretly relieved that the priest in Stockholm had warned them of the roadblocks. Fate had a way of stepping in and in her heart she really wanted to be married in the US anyway. She wanted Mary Lou, her best friend to see that she really was acting like an adult and doing it right. She wanted Ranger, no, Carlos, to have his best friend and protector beside him as they stepped into the future together.

Ranger had already spoken to Les and he would keep their secret.

After landing back in Newark, the plane would be readied for another flight, this time with just Ranger and Stephanie, Tank and Lula and Mary Lou and Lenny on board. Les was flying them to Vegas. Hector had already come through and all the paperwork was waiting.

They were having a quiet ceremony and then winging off for a honeymoon to a secluded island. They needed together time, time to heal the physical wounds, time to get to know each other as man and wife, and if time permitted, time to plan for their future together.

Tank and Lula were still deciding whether they would also tie the knot or wait for their own moment.

She looked out at the fluffy clouds below them.

Their future was secure in their love for each other, but it would take time to mold a relationship into a life-long relationship. What would the next five years look like? Ten? Forty-two?

Her man wanted to expand his business. He was ready to leave Trenton and head somewhere warm. He had grown up in Miami, both literally and figuratively. Would they move there, or the new branch? It would be lots of work setting it up and getting it up to Rangeman standards.

She mentally snapped her fingers and a smile peeked out.

Maybe she could start a Bond Enforcement Division. Oh Boy!

~~~o0o~~~

**A/N - interesting, when I was researching and writing this story, the Mitra Clip was in the final testing stages in the US. I note that very, very recently (this month) it has now been approved for the US and hopefully very soon in Canada.**

**Thanks to everyone for jumping on this ride with me. Now that it is complete I plan to personally thank everyone who took the time to post a review.**

**As far as I am concerned there will be no sequel to this. I am leaving this up to your imaginations; new city, new adventures.**

**I see my muse in the corner rubbing her hands in glee. I wonder what she's got up her sleeve now!**

**Myrna**


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